


Sunshine and Shadows

by EmrysTheMerlin



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Arthur Chase, BAMF Nico, BAMF Will, Brotherly Jason, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, For most of the main cast, Gen, Hurt Nico di Angelo, Memory Loss, Memory Magic, Memory Related, Nico di Angelo & Leo Valdez Friendship, Nico di Angelo & Piper McLean Friendship, Nico di Angelo is a Cute Dork, Nicolla Di Angelo, Oracle Quest, Persephone Jackson, Questing, Series of One Shots, Solo Quest, That's everybody I changed, Three Days in the Infirmary (Percy Jackson), Wanted to see how things would Change, Wilhemina Solace, genderbender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 10:16:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 41
Words: 68,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16365986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmrysTheMerlin/pseuds/EmrysTheMerlin
Summary: The daughter of Hades has not had an easy life. With two wars under her belt and a trip through Tartarus haunting her dreams she's sure there's no one she can turn to who will accept everything she's done in the name of saving lives. Then she meets Wilhemina Solace, just Will to her friends. Could it be she's found her light at the end of the tunnel?





	1. Runaway

**Author's Note:**

> So this is another transfer from my Fanfiction. I have messed with the order I'm posting from there to here, some of the chapters need editing so I'm gonna post those after they've been altered. Please let me know what you think, I own nothing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions run high as Nico escapes Camp Half Blood for the first time.

Nico knew something was wrong when Persephone Jackson had pulled her aside to talk to her. To be honest she’d known something was wrong for a few nights now. She’d dreamed of a large metal junkyard. A group of mostly girls, and a satyr, in a junkyard. A small hidden figurine in a pocket angering a metal giant. A foot the only way in to stop it. A volunteer. Then it faded to flashes of metal. Then nothing, she’d woken up in a cold sweat, unable to speak about her dream or why it had shaken her so badly. She nearly forgot about it the next day when one of the Ares kids volunteered to take her around. Clarisse was nice. Travis didn’t seem sure. 

 

“I mean she’s a bit bouncy, for an Ares kid.” Clarisse nodded slightly as one of the younger Ares kids showed the young brunette how to hold a sword properly. They couldn’t find one that fit her hands quite right but she was a protégé at swordplay, picking it up like it was second nature. There were few who could do that, the last one to successfully reach camp who could was Jackson and Di Angelo couldn’t swim to save her life. So that ruled out Child of Poseidon. Clarisse leveled a frown at Travis. 

 

“You’ve got more campers than you can handle. Let me take the new one for the day, she won’t be much trouble. Besides I wanna see if she’s good with any other weapons. Who knows maybe she’s an Ares, none of the gods really bother claiming anymore. Not since Jackson showed up. Let’s give her a shot, might free up some floor space.” Travis nodded and let them take the girl for the day. Nico had enjoyed her day with the Ares campers, she wasn’t great with other weapons, and she was a terrible shot with a gun. She was alright with a bow and arrow. Clarisse sent her back to the Hermes cabin at the end of the day though, shaking her head at Travis. Nico didn’t really understand what it meant but she found herself that night back in the Hermes cabin, on the floor, looking through her mythomagic cards by the light of a low burning torch. She didn’t want to sleep again but it eventually came and this time the dream was worse. This time she was standing to the side in a great earthen cavern. There were four seats set in front of a desk. The figures in the seats were softly glowing, white, pearlescent beings that looked like people. They were dead. She could tell. The figure in front of them was dead too. A very familiar figure. She turned as if she could see Nico and Nico awoke with a scream. Conner was the one to react. He pulled her up and into his bunk and tried to get her to tell him what she had seen but she couldn’t she refused to believe what she had seen was true. But then Percy had shown back up without Bianca. She had brought back the boy who’d been dragged off the cliff by Dr. Thorne but not Nico’s sister. 

 

She had tried to soften the blow, telling Nico that Bianca had died a hero, that she had saved the whole group. The Daughter of Poseidon handed her a mythomagic figure like that was supposed to fix everything. Then the skeletons had appeared. It was all too much, far too much. She wanted it to all go away, so she screamed and the earth split open and swallowed the skeletons without a sound leaving a great black scar across the white marble of the pavilion. Nico couldn’t handle all of it, she turned and ran, ignoring all of the warnings Travis, Conner and Clarisse had given her about the woods, about not going into them without a weapon. Her sister was dead, she had seen her passing into the underworld. She felt tears stinging her face as her ponytail caught on a branch and pulled loose. Something howled in the woods and she ran faster her legs burning. She had to get away from it all. She tripped and fell into the shadow of a tree, she expected to hit the relatively soft forest floor but she fell through the shadow and scraped her hands on the asphalt of an alleyway. She had no idea where she was. 

 

She stood and looked around. Out of the corner of her eye she saw lights and stumbled towards it. She blinked. She’d never seen a city like this. She shaded her eyes against the bright lights in the night. She glanced at a newspaper stand, that was something familiar. New York. It couldn’t be she’d seen New York in pictures. This couldn’t be it, too bright, too many lights and screens. She ran. She couldn’t handle any of this. So instead she kept running. She found herself in a large wooded area split by paths and the occasional lake. She didn’t know what it was but it was better than where she had been. She collapsed next to a large rock formation and sobbed. She was all alone in the world. She didn’t remember her mother, that realization shot more fear through her. She had no idea which god was supposed to be her father, he’d never made himself known. Percy had broken her promise and now Bianca was dead. There was only one thing that she remembered from her past. A song her mother had sung to her. She hummed to herself for a moment, alone in this dark park, suddenly the formation to her left creaked and a set of doors she hadn’t seen before opened. She stumbled back, then she heard a clicking like the one that had preceded Dr. Thorne. Anywhere was better than where he might be. She took off down the tunnel taking no notice of the doors clicking shut behind her or of the frustrated hissing and clawing at them once they were closed.


	2. Runaway: The Underworld

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truths are learned and mentors met.

Clarisse was very, very angry. Percy refused to tell anyone what really happened after she pulled Nico aside. Every day for a week she took Travis and they searched the woods for any sign of the poor girl. Chiron made them stop after the week but Clarisse was nothing if not stubborn. She kept claiming to be hunting for a challenge but she didn’t seek out any monsters. She kept looking for Nico, she couldn’t help it. The kid had been sweet and bouncy, not really fit for the war. Travis still joined her too. The kid had apparently been so bubbly that even the Hermes kids hadn’t been able to steal from her, not that she’d had a whole lot to steal. But she’d had awful nightmares. Clarisse sat next to Travis who was watching his cabin train. 

“I mean we all have bad dreams Travis.” Travis shook his head. 

“It wasn’t like that though. It was like she knew something she shouldn’t, certainly something she didn’t want to. More like what dreams are supposed to be when you have a quest.” Clarisse looked up from her spear. 

“Do you think it was the other side, trying to turn her into one of them?” Travis shuddered, imagining what Kronos and his minions would twist the young girl into. 

“Di Imortalis, I hope not. I think I’d rather she be dead than joined up with that back stabbing traitor.” Clarisse nodded. 

“It’s what’s most likely.” She couldn’t help but feel like they would be seeing Nico again though. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Nico raced down the dark passage not caring or knowing where she was going. All she knew was that there was a hissing growling noise behind her and she had to get away from whatever was causing it. Maybe running into a stone door in the middle of Central Park hadn’t been her best idea but something told her that if she got to the end of the tunnel and out into the dim light she would be safe. 

 

“You will not escape little godling!” The voice drove her to run faster. It was one she recognized. Dr. Thorne, the manticore teacher from Westover Hall was chasing her. She had to get away from him. She stumbled over something and felt something sting her shoulder. She kept going though and in moments found herself in a great earthen cavern. A black river flowed to her left and black poplar trees grew along its bank. A screeching hiss sounded from in front of her this time and she dove to the dark earth as a screeching hag in a floral dress with great bat wings soared her way. But it didn’t attack her. It flew over her wielding a fiery whip striking out at her pursuer. Nico scrambled to her feet as her shoulder burned. She ignored it and ran away from the battle behind her as fast as her feet would take her. The problem was that she didn’t get very far. Her legs seized and she fell headlong. Her veins were burning and she realized that the manticore must have stung her in the tunnel. She cried out as her blood seemed to burn and freeze at the same time. She was going to die, alone in a cave, surrounded by monsters. At least she would see Bianca again. Her vision was darkening as a figure landed in front of her and shoved a cup of something in front of her forcing her to drink. She coughed and gagged the liquid didn’t taste like liquid should. It tasted like a tiramisu. The pain subsided slightly but her vision only cleared for a moment. She spotted the face of the lawyer that had taken her and Bianca out of the Casino. But she no longer had a tasteful suit on instead she was a twisted hag, holding a pitch black goblet. Spotting that Nico was still awake she spoke her voice rasping. 

 

“You are safe little godling. Your father sent us.” Nico blinked but was almost completely unconscious. Before she let herself go she heard the hag speak to someone she couldn’t see. “Take her to the palace in Erebus.” She blacked out to the feel of talons gently lifting her off the ground. 

 

When she woke again she was very, very confused and more than a little scared. She was in an ornate bedroom. The bed she was in was covered in black silk. Semi transparent curtains surrounded the bed which was bigger than any she’d ever seen. She tried to sit up and hissed in pain. Her whole body was extremely sore. She glanced around. She was alone but an ornate black metal goblet sat on the intricately carved wooden bedside table. She carefully pulled herself out of the middle of the ridiculously comfortable large bed and sipped the contents of the goblet warily. She nearly dropped the cup. Again it didn’t taste anything like what any liquid should taste like. It was like fresh Tiramisu, the flavor stirring a memory she couldn’t quite reach. With nothing else she could do she finished the liquid in the goblet and felt suddenly much better. Her skin didn’t sting every time she moved and even her headache had left. She had no idea where she was or who had brought her here. So quietly as she could she crept out of the bed and glanced around for a weapon. Only then did she take in the sheer size of the room she was in. 

 

It could easily have fit the big house from camp inside with some room to spare. The doorways, covered with more black curtains, were arched and detailed in pure gold. There were no windows, the room was lit by golden brassieres filled with green fire. On the walls were carvings done in golds and silvers detailed with precious gems. They depicted the quiet burial grounds under soft diamond moons. Places from all over the world were pictured here. Mausoleums and intricately carved steles were pictured there. It was oddly beautiful. Nico stepped up to one of the images of a stele and found to her amazement she understood what all of the symbols on it meant, why they were there as if she had known the girl it was carved for. She didn’t though. Someone cleared their throat in the doorway. 

 

“My Lady. It is good you are well.” Nico nearly jumped out of her skin. Standing in the doorway was a white pearlescent figure. He was dressed in an old English style suit. He looked like he’d been about fifty when he died, for it was clear to Nico that he was in fact dead. He bowed to her. “If you will follow me I will show you to the baths.” Nico blinked at him for a minute before she followed him in a daze. A bath did sound nice. She could feel crusted blood on her shoulder and back and dirt had dug into her shirt and nails. She didn’t remain in silent shock for long. 

 

“Where am I?” The ghost in the suit nodded slightly. 

 

“You are in Erebus.” Nico’s mind went a mile a minute. She recognized that name from her Mythomagic cards. 

 

“The palace of Hades?” The ghost nodded. 

 

“That is correct my lady.” Nico blinked at him. 

 

“Why do you keep calling me that?” The ghost bowed to her again. 

 

“All will be explained once you have washed and been fed.” He pulled back the curtain and motioned Nico past him. She hesitated but unsure of what else she could be doing she stepped inside the room. It was an ancient Greek style bath. The whole thing tiled in black, gold and precious stones. The bath stretched from one end of the room to the other, the shimmering water steaming. Nico hadn’t had a proper bath in, well she honestly couldn’t remember. Everything before Westover Hall and the Casino was a blur of white. She was left alone again, she would roll with this weirdness for a while. She honestly couldn’t think of anything else to do. If this really was Erebus then she would never step out of it alive. But they didn’t seem to be trying to kill her. In fact she was being treated very very well. She picked up a sponge from a metal cart that held all kinds of exotic bath supplies and threw it into the water. She was waiting for it to dissolve or explode or burn up but it didn’t. 

 

Unable to resist the draw of being clean again she grabbed a few other things from the cart and set them down by the edge of the pool. She quickly undressed and slipped into the steaming water. It was gloriously warm and the dirt and dried blood seemed to vanish from the water as soon as they were scrubbed off. She couldn’t quite reach all of it though and she turned to look for something to help when she spotted a figure by the edge of the pool. She screamed and covered herself. The figure curtsied low. 

 

“I am sorry if I startled you my lady. I am here to assist you.” Nico blinked at her. The girl couldn’t be much older than her, another ghost. This one though was dressed in ancient chiton. It was short, only reaching to just above her knees and she was barefoot. Nico blinked at her for a moment. The girl bowed again.

 

“If you wish I will leave. I am at your command. But if you wish I can help you cleanse the blood from your hair and back.” Nico paused for a moment before she spoke. 

 

“What’s your name?” That seemed to take the ghost aback. 

 

“My name is Anthea, I am the bath attendant that was summoned to assist you. Your father believed you might appreciate the company. But if you wish I can leave.” Nico shook her head. It was too quiet here and Anthea seemed sincere. 

 

“No please. I… I just don’t know what’s happening here.” Anthea nodded and bowed again. 

 

“An envoy is coming to explain everything to you my lady. He has been ordered to help you train your powers and skills. I am here to make sure you are well and comfortable before he arrives.” Nico frowned gently swimming towards the girl. It was clear to her now that the ghost meant her no harm. 

 

“Why is my father sending someone else, not coming himself?” Anthea handed her a black handled brush so she could reach the blood still on her back. “Thank you.” 

 

“Even he cannot directly help his children, he must work through others to do so.” Nico nodded she remembered someone at Camp Half Blood saying something like that. She turned her back on the girl so she could dip her head back in the water without feeling the need to keep covering herself. 

 

“May I help you with your hair?” Nico took a few minutes to try and get the blood out herself first but eventually relented and let the ghost untangle her hair and wash it. It felt nice. Her hands didn’t feel like a normal persons. They felt like cool refreshing air. But there was a sadness with the feeling. She finished the bath in silence and Anthea collected her clothes. Nico frowned. 

 

“Um, can I have those back?” Anthea shook her head. 

 

“I have been told to provide you with new clothes.” The ghost girl nodded to the top of the cart where there sat a small stack of clothing. Nico nodded. 

 

“Can you leave so I can get dressed? Please?” Anthea nodded and curtsied again. She left Nico to change into the clothes. They were all black. A pair of well-made slacks and a black button up. They were very fancy. Much nicer than she was used to. She frowned but slipped it on and pulled on the sturdy boots that had been by the door. She was met at the door by the same ghost in a suit, his name turned out to be William. He led her past the room she’d been recovering in and into a large study. It was bigger than the room she’d been in with a large hand carven oak desk. A high back chair sat behind the desk which was covered in food. William said to make herself comfortable.

 

“Is this safe? I’ve read the myths about underworld food.” William smiled. 

 

“It is quite safe for you. The only underworld food you should avoid, pomegranates. None are present here.” Nico nodded slightly and sat down in the chair. She poked at the food for a moment as William left. Eventually though her hunger got the better of her. Nothing bad happened, she didn’t choke and die or feel the need to stay here for the rest of eternity. Honestly she wanted to leave now more than ever but she had to know if all of this meant what she thought it meant. Because if it did then maybe she could still save Bianca after all. It took a while but eventually William returned and bowed to her. 

 

“My Lady, may I introduce you to King Minos, your tutor.” A regal thin ghostly figure strode into the room and bowed. 

 

“My Lady.” Nico was getting fed up with this. 

 

“Ok why does everyone keep calling me that! Why am I here!” King Minos smiled.

 

“Because you have found your way into your father’s domain. No one has told you yet but you are the only daughter of Hades God of the Underworld and Lord of the dead. We are at your service.” He bowed again, hiding his wicked grin from the girl sitting stunned in the high backed armchair.


	3. Three Days: First Scare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico's first day in the infirmary doesn't start well.

Will shook her head as she looked down at the clipboard in her hands. The name at the top read Nicolla Di Angelo, Will hadn’t known that her full name was Nicolla. Apparently the only person who had known in this day and age had been Bianca. A lot of the page remained blank, mostly the medical history section. From what she’d managed to get out of the daughter of Hades she was from the 1930’s. It would be nearly impossible to get ahold of any preexisting medical records that might possibly still exist for her. Will would just have to start from scratch. Will was honestly kind of surprised that Nico had agreed to set foot inside the infirmary, let alone stay but the blonde wasn’t complaining. Nico was dangerously malnourished to the point where Will swore she could see the smaller girl’s ribs even through that horrible monstrosity of a Hawaiian shirt she had yet to change out of. Not to mention that whole nearly melting into a shadow thing.

 

“Kayla can you do me a favor and see if you can find a gown for our intensive care patient? If I have to keep looking at that Hawaiian monstrosity my eyes will start to bleed.” Kayla nodded grinning slightly. 

 

“Anything to make your favorite patient more comfortable.” Will stuck out her tongue and went to check on Katie Gardener who’d shattered her wrist during the battle. Will was actually pretty glad for the presence of the Romans now that they had calmed down from that whole kill the Greeks thing. They had brought several healers of their own and that helped take some of the pressure off of the Apollo cabin though they were all still working themselves to the bone. 

 

“The ambrosia’s helping quite a bit. It doesn’t even hurt anymore.” Will nodded and was about to reply when Austin came skidding into the room completely out of breath. 

 

“Will. Intensive care. Emergency. Losing her.” Will was out the door before Austin could gasp out another word. She barreled past a worried looking group of demigods Austin hot on her heels. She didn’t notice Persephone Jackson or Arthur Chase with twin looks of horror on their faces nor Nico’s roman sister Hazel Levesque sobbing in the arms of the new Praetor Frank Zhang. No, all Will noticed was the shadows actively seeping out from under the closed door. Will wasted no time, she shoved the door open with her shoulder and raced inside slightly slowed by the shadows that seemed to nip at her heels but she didn’t care. What she cared about was the demigod currently melting into a puddle of shadows on the bed. Three Apollo kids, Kayla, Hannah, and Clark, were already there chanting Apollo hymns and trying to save the rapidly fading daughter of Hades with no luck. Will shoved her way through the shadows as Hannah and Clark pulled their hands away with twin Greek curses. Barely registering the frost coating her sibling’s fingers Will placed her hands over Nico’s nearly translucent chest right over her heart. She began to chant even as the cold seeped into her skin. Steam rose as Will began to glow dimly and the shadows retreated from the daughter of Apollo. Will didn’t notice the passage of time, she just focused on the girl in front of her. She wasn’t going to die, not on Will’s watch. 

Finally, five agonizing minutes later Nico was solid again. But Will could feel no heartbeat under her fingers and shut up her siblings cheering with barked orders. 

“Kayla get the defibrillator! Clark run for nectar. Austin get OR prepped in case we have to go in. Hannah get that door shut!” Her siblings scrambled to comply.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Persephone ‘Percy’ Jackson was sobbing, not that the others were doing much better. Hazel was a mess in Frank’s arms, Jason was cradling Piper as tears streamed down both their faces. Reyna sat on the bench outside Nico’s room face stoic. They had just lost Leo they couldn’t lose Nico too. It was just then that Drew Tanaka decided to walk by. The members of the seven, now six, were rapidly becoming celebrities around both camps. But Drew had never liked Percy or Arthur and Piper had taken her place of power in the Aphrodite cabin and any chance she’d had with Jason. 

 

“Well, well, look at this. The Heroes of Olympus standing around sobbing. Who died this time?” Frank, who wasn’t good with sarcasm especially when Hazel was upset muttered.

 

“Nico isn’t doing well.” Drew raised a perfect eyebrow.

 

“That creepy Hades kid? Good riddance she…” But Drew got no father. Hazel, Percy, and Jason had all lunged for her but to the surprise of all of the gathered demigods Reyna got there first. She decked Drew in the face laying the other girl out on the floor with what was clearly a shattered nose.

 

“Say another word against her and I will kill you. No one insults my friend and gets away with it!” Drew scrambled to her feet and ran. Hazel turned to Reyna.

 

“Thank you Praetor.” Reyna gave her a tight worried smile.

 

“A sister of Nico’s is a sister of mine. And please call me Reyna.” Hazel nodded and gave her a watery smile. The group spun at the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them. Will was leaning in the finally open doorway, Kayla smiled tiredly at the group and slipped past her sister to go see to other things in the infirmary followed closely by Hannah and Clark. As soon as they were alone Will smiled tiredly.

 

“Know that as a doctor I can’t approve of breaking someone’s nose but I silently applaud you. Now on to much more important matters. Nico is stable.” The cheering was almost deafening. Will had to let out a low sonic whistle to get them to quiet down. 

 

“Nico is stable but it was a very close thing. I’m not going to lie to you we very nearly lost her a few times.” Hazel’s hands flew to her mouth as fresh tears built in her eyes. Will was in full doctor mode, like she’d been when Arthur had taken the knife for Percy during the battle of Manhattan. 

 

“We managed to stop her from fading but the strain on her body was almost too much. She went into cardiac arrest and we had to restart her heart twice. She’s doing a bit better but she’s got assistance breathing and an IV in at the moment. She’s also going to have an Apollo kid in the room at all times for the next few days in case she starts to fade again. Austin is going to take first shift but may contact me if he needs help, there’s drachma and a fountain in the corner. You can come in to see her but she’s asleep and I’d like to keep it that way for the next few days if we can. Gods know she needs the rest.” Will stepped aside and let the group pile into the small room. Hazel rushed to Nico’s side and gently took her hand. Will turned to Reyna.

 

“You’re the one who was with her transporting the Athena Parthenos, Reyna right?” Reyna nodded. 

 

“I need to know if there are any injuries she didn’t have a chance to tell me about.” Will was very worried about this as she hadn’t actually had much of a chance to talk to Nico since Octavian’s unintentional suicide. They had exchanged a few words outside the Apollo cabin after Nico had finished talking to Percy but Nico had passed out not to long after, staying awake only long enough to answer a few questions and make it to the bed in intensive care. Reyna nodded looking over at Nico worry in her eyes. 

 

“Yes there is at least one that I’m aware of. We were in a fight with a pack of werewolves while we were in Portugal. Lycaon the first werewolf scratched her, across her upper arms, near her shoulder. I stitched them up as best I could but they wouldn’t heal. Whenever Hedge tried using his nature magic they would just get worse.” Will nodded running a hand through her bangs. She peeled off the gloves she was wearing and switched them out for a new set. 

 

“Yeah werewolf scratches can be tricky. She didn’t get bit did she?” There was terror in Will’s eyes but her voice remained level and calm. Reyna shook her head.

 

“Thank the gods no. It was really close though.” Will nodded and quick stepped over to the door and waved Austin down as he passed in the hallway. 

 

“Get me a suture kit, I’m going to up her nectar intake. We’ll have to cut it off a bit early to compensate. And send Hannah to find Lou Ellen. Tell her I need books on Lycaon and werewolves in general. If she doesn’t have any talk to Mitchel from Athena, he should have something. I’ll take over first watch. Make sure Clark and Hannah get treated for the frostbite on their fingers.” Austin nodded and raced off. He came back moments later with a small white kit and a fresh box of gloves. Will set up a metal tray of equipment. Kayla knocked at the door her almost white blonde pink streaked hair pulled back out of her face. 

 

“Need any help in here?” Austin dodged past her to carry out Will’s requests. Will nodded at her sister her short crop of golden hair bouncing slightly.

 

“Yeah actually. Can you cut the sleeves off Nico’s shirt? I doubt she’ll miss that monstrosity and if she does I’ll get her a new one myself.” Kayla nodded and grabbed a large pair of scissors out of one of the cabinets and made her way around the knot of demigods. She carefully cut off Nico’s sleeves revealing gashes that curved up her biceps almost to her shoulders. Hazel screamed and fainted in Frank’s arms. She wasn’t normally squeamish but this was different.

 

Not only was this her sister but the cuts were a deep unhealthy purple with green rimmed yellow puss oozing out of several of them. Kayla rushed to help Frank with Hazel while Will rushed to treat Nico. Only Reyna noticed the slight shaking in Will’s hands as she began to treat the gruesome gashes. It was a long slow process. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Will spent three hours working to clean the infection from Nico’s left arm before silently stretching, changing her equipment and gloves and silently setting to work on the right arm which was just as bad. By the time she was done only Reyna was left in the room and night had fallen. Will looked around, a touch confused.

 

“They left nearly two hours ago. Chiron said something about curfew. I don’t have a cabin so I’m staying in the big house. I said I’d rather stay here with Nico when he asked if I needed a room.” She wasn’t asking Will if she could stay she was telling the healer that she was staying. Will nodded her eyes a bit bleary. Reyna was watching the bed like a hawk. Most wouldn’t be able to but Will could read her expression like an open book. 

 

“You didn’t fail her you know. Werewolf scratches are tricky. I’ve honestly never seen anyone survive a werewolf attack until now.” Reyna smiled slightly.

 

“I am glad Camp Half Blood has such skilled healers. There’s quite a lot that the Roman children of Apollo could learn from you.” Will blushed a dark red as she took off her gloves. Someone knocked on the door and Austin stuck his head in the room. 

 

“Sorry to interrupt. I’m here to take next watch.” Will shook her head. 

 

“You look exhausted Austin, go get some sleep, I got this.” Austin nodded. 

 

“Kayla’s on watch for the infirmary tonight. Lacey from Aphrodite volunteered to help her out.” Will nodded.

 

“Let Kayla know where I’ll be then go get some sleep. It’s too late to go back to the cabin tonight. There’s a spare mattress in my office. It should be unlocked.” Austin nodded rubbing his eyes.

 

“You sure? You’ve been up for quite a while?” Will nodded.

 

“I’m sure. Go get some sleep, cabin counselors orders.” Austin grinned slightly. 

 

“I knew you’d abuse that power sooner or later.” Will smiled.

 

“Only to help my siblings.” Austin shook his head and left. Reyna nodded at the blonde as she began to check over Nico’s vitals again. Soon they were sitting in silence. Reyna was watching Will but the daughter of Apollo didn’t notice, she was too busy watching Nico. She seemed to be unable to sit still. She checked the clock above the door and turned back to Nico carefully removing the IV needle from her arm.

 

“I hate to do it but any more nectar could be fatal and I’m not going to risk it.” Reyna nodded. 

 

“You care about her a lot don’t you?” Will kept her eyes fixed on her work as she nodded. 

 

“I was under the impression that Nico didn’t have any friends at Camp Half Blood.” Will picked up Nico’s chart, making a few notes near the middle. 

 

“The thing about Nico, as I’m sure you’ve discovered for yourself, is that she’s really hard to get close to. I met her briefly before she disappeared from camp the first time.” Reyna raised an eyebrow.

 

“First time?” Will nodded still focused on Nico’s chart.

 

“Yeah. She was around ten when she first came to camp. Her sister joined the hunters of Artemis but they wouldn’t let her join. I don’t know why, probably because her father didn’t want Artemis to take both of his children. Anyway Bianca went on a quest with another hunter, a satyr named Grover, and Percy and well she didn’t come back. Percy took Nico out to explain what had happened and Nico never came back. No one heard from her for about six months. Most hoped she’d died. Better that than brainwashed into Kronos’s army. Of course none of us knew at the time whose kid she was.” Will clipped the board back to the end of the bed. 

 

“She was a really sweet kid back then, kinda nerdy with a million questions. But she was only here for about a week. I didn’t get the chance to really get to know her. She was a bit shy.” Reyna smiled trying to imagine this side of Nico. 

 

“Next time I saw her was mid battle.” Reyna nodded.

 

“The battle of Manhattan right?” Will shook her head.

 

“No, the battle of the labyrinth.” Will fidgeted with a bead on the necklace she wore. 

 

“She showed up and honestly we wouldn’t have won that battle without her. She released Daedalus's soul and collapsed the Labyrinth, crushing a bunch of Kronos's troops. Then after the battle she disappeared again before I could talk to her.” Reyna glanced at Nico. 

 

“She’d have been about eleven right? A touch shorter than she is now, less skinny, dancing skeletons t-shirt?” Will finally met Reyna’s eyes, a confused look on her face as she nodded.

 

“Yeah. How did you know?” Reyna took Nico’s right arm and turned it gently so her right forearm was facing up. A tattoo was burned into her skin there, a strange trident like symbol with an orb instead of a middle prong set above the letters SPQR and three horizontal black lines.

 

“That’s when she showed up at Camp Jupiter.” Will’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into her wavy blonde hair. 

 

“I mean I knew she knew about both camps but I didn’t think she’d joined the legion.” Reyna shrugged gently laying Nico’s arm back down and tucking it under the blankets. 

 

“She resisted heavily when she first showed up, especially after she met Jason. Disappeared for a few weeks but showed back up at her father's side. Her father requested the reinstatement of the Ambassador of Pluto and put Nico up for the job. She's never been a legionare but one of the traditions she couldn’t talk herself out of was getting the tattoo. It’s an easy way to distinguish friend from foe.” Will nodded and continued.

 

“Then she showed up again at the end of the battle of Manhattan. She’d somehow managed to convinced her father to come help. We’d have all died in that last offence if they hadn’t shown up. It was the most badass thing I’d ever seen. She just walked through the enemy line radiating death, forced them back. After that Percy made the deal with the gods that all the gods and goddesses be recognized here at camp. That included Hades. There wasn’t a cabin for him before that. Nico built her own cabin but she didn’t stay long. Some of the other campers weren’t accepting of her. The whole death thing scared them. I was busy trying to adjust to being councilor for my cabin and running a post war infirmary so I didn’t get the chance to get to know her before she left again. I wanted to but something always got in the way, like we weren’t supposed to get close until now.” Reyna nodded. It made some sense in an odd way. If Nico had gotten too close to Will before she might not have left Camp Half Blood to begin with and would never have made her way to Camp Jupiter much less bring Hazel there. The seven had clicked easily enough but Nico had been instrumental in bringing them together. Will absently ran a hand through her hair again.

 

“Can’t believe no one noticed the tattoo before though.” Reyna shrugged. 

 

“She normally wears that long sleeved jacket. It was destroyed in the battle with Lycaon.” Will nodded and pulled on a new pair of gloves before checking Nico’s wounds again and frowning. She peeled off her gloves and stood behind the head of the bed. Reyna raised an eyebrow at the blonde.

 

“Healing magic works best when there’s tactile contact, you know skin to skin. And I just realized how awkward that sounds.” She blushed lightly as she gently laid her hands over the cuts and began to chant a hymn to Apollo. Reyna watched with curiosity as the daughter of Apollo began to glow dimly. She stayed like that for a good ten minutes before the glow faded and Will carefully lifted her hands. The jagged edges of the wounds were softer and they were definitely smaller though scar tissue appeared to have replaced the once blemish free skin of Nico’s bicep where the wound had extended nearly to her shoulders. They weren’t completely healed but they were well on their way. Will smiled tiredly.

 

“Good. I wasn’t sure that would help.” Will wobbled as she stepped out from behind the head of the bed and Reyna caught her as she stumbled. 

 

“Are you alright?” Will nodded.

 

“Yeah. Just tired. I haven’t tried that one before. My brother Michael Yew taught me that one but told me that he never used it. Said it was draining. He wasn’t wrong.” Reyna guided Will to the bed next to Nico’s. Will shook her head.

 

“I shouldn’t be sleeping. I need to keep an eye on Nico.” Reyna smiled.

 

“I’ll keep an eye on her and wake you up if anything changes.”

 

“Promise?” Reyna nodded.

 

“I swear it.” Will flopped her head on the pillow facing Nico.

 

“Good. Don’t want to lose her again.” Reyna’s smile grew as she pulled the covers over the exhausted child of Apollo.


	4. Three Days: Diagnosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares are had, favors are called in and Will learns a few differences between Romans and Greeks.

Will was shaken awake by a firm but unfamiliar hand. She shot upright, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She immediately turned to Nico’s bed and saw why Reyna had woken her up. Nico was tossing and turning, sweat pouring from her face which was twisted as though she was in pain. Will hopped out of the bed and raced to Nico. She took a deep breath and laid a hand on Nico’s forehead. It was warm but not the kind of warm that meant she was dying from an ambrosia or nectar overdose. Definitely a fever though. Will reached out with her senses. One of the best things, in her opinion, about being a daughter of Apollo was that she didn’t need all the fancy tools regular doctors needed. Sure she knew how to use them and did when it was completely needed but she could tell just by making skin contact with someone what was wrong. Nico’s heartbeat was going a mile a minute. Her pulse was bouncing all over the charts. She wasn’t sleeping peacefully. Without removing her hand Will spoke to Reyna.

 

“When did this start?” 

 

“About a minute before I woke you.” Will nodded. She already liked the Praetor, a woman of her word. Will frowned as Nico muttered something in Italian. Will didn’t catch what she’d said though. As a daughter of Apollo she could speak the language of music as many called Italian, just like children of Aphrodite could speak French. Will reluctantly removed her hand and stepped over to the corner of the room where there was a well lit fountain. Reyna raised an eyebrow as Will unlocked the drawer under it and pulled out a golden coin. The blonde adjusted the light so a rainbow sparked into life in the fountain. Then she threw the coin into the rainbow. 

 

“Clovis, Hypnos Cabin.” It took a moment but an image flickered to life in the rainbow. A boy with soft brown hair and big sleepy doe eyes blinked at Will before picking up a clock and frowning at the daughter of Apollo. 

 

“Will, tell me this is an emergency, cause if it’s not I’m gonna give you the weirdest dreams for a week.” Will nodded. 

 

“It is Clovis, wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t. I need you to block one of my patients from dreams, at least for the next few days.” Clovis yawned and Reyna felt the urge to yawn and lay herself down on one of the beds. Will seemed immune though. 

 

“Which one?” 

 

“Nico Di Angelo.” Clovis shuddered slightly. Reyna was about to get offended on her friends behalf but Clovis spoke before she could. 

 

“Those are some dark dreams. We’ll do what we can though.” Will nodded.

 

“Thank you Clovis.” The boy nodded back and slowly pulled himself out of the bed before swiping his hand through the Iris message. Reyna raised an eyebrow at Will as the healer turned back to Nico and once again laid a hand on her forehead. She let Will finish her Greek chant before she spoke. 

 

“What was that?” Will looked up as if she had forgotten Reyna was there but after a split second she nodded.

 

“Iris messaging. Called in a favor with one of the sons of Hypnos I know, Somnus to you I suppose. They help out every now and again in the Infirmary. They have a very calming presence. They’re great with memory loss and they can stave off nightmares, as long as it’s not a god sending them. Can’t do much about those.” Reyna nodded slightly. As far as she was aware Somnus had no Roman children, though it could be that if they were anything like their Greek equivalents they had never made it to Camp Jupiter, she doubted Lupa would stand for that kind of laziness. 

 

“They’re really good with dreams though, I think it’s because Morpheus doesn’t have any kids, at least not as far as we know. Should help Nico get some actual rest.” A few minutes later Nico calmed and Will frowned at her chart before stepping over to one of the cabinets and pulling out a different IV bag. This one wasn’t the color of apple juice as the Nectar had been. It was clear. She hung it up on the stand and hooked it up to Nico. Reyna raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Just the usual cocktail for malnutrition and dehydration. I didn’t want to mix it with the Nectar. She needed as much of that as she could get. Now she needs to not look like one of her skeletons.” Reyna nodded wholly agreeing with the healer. Nico was so thin it was amazing that she could walk around normally let alone fight. 

 

“She rarely eats enough, especially for how draining her powers are. I thought a few times she wasn’t going to make it shadow traveling the three of us and the Athena Parthenos. She slept for days and barely ate.” Will’s face was filled with worry at the Romans words. She stepped over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a notepad and began to scrawl across it. Reyna peeked over her shoulder. 

 

“A meal plan?” Will nodded.

 

“It needs to happen. She’s malnourished to the point I’m shocked she’s still alive. You can’t just shove someone who’s not eaten in a long time back into eating normal portions. It’ll make the situation worse. The IV will help but I wanna get her back on real foods as soon as I can. So I need to plan.” Reyna nodded, sitting down next to Will to see what she could do to help. 

 

“She hates blue Gatorade, it turns her tongue blue. She prefers the red one or orange. Not that she’ll say it out loud.” Will nodded and made a note on the paper. Reyna frowned to herself. “She’s not particularly picky about what she eats, she tends to eat like she can’t taste anything.” Will frowned and grabbed Nico’s chart instead making a note on it. Her handwriting was awful even for a doctors handwriting. Reyna smiled slightly as she pointed this out. 

 

“Well the dyslexia doesn’t help.” Reyna frowned. 

 

“Do Greek demigods have dyslexia?” Will nodded. 

 

“Romans don’t?” Reyna shook her head. 

 

“No most of us have Dyscalculia.” Will frowned flipped a page and made a note on this new piece of information. 

 

“I guess that makes sense, cause roman numerals.” Reyna nodded and the two slipped into an easy conversation about the differences between Roman and Greek demigods. Will was fascinated by the concept of Legacies, there were none here at Camp Half Blood, Greeks tended more towards tragic deaths than Romans. Reyna was midsentence, expounding on the merits of the medical college in New Rome, she wanted Will to go there, to teach them things they couldn’t learn from any roman source, when Will stiffened and turned towards the bed. Reyna stopped talking and glanced at Nico as Will stood and stepped over to a cabinet. She swore in Greek and turned back to Reyna. 

 

“I need to make a nectar run, can you make sure she doesn’t hurt herself when she wakes up, and absolutely no shadow travel.” Reyna nodded and moved to the chair beside the bed as Will practically ran out of the room. Nico groaned a few moments later and her deep brown eyes flickered open. She blinked around, panic starting to take over when Reyna leaned closer.

 

“You’re alright my friend. You’re safe.” She calmed at the sound of Reyna’s voice. She blinked a few more times and looked around her. 

 

“Where am I?” 

 

“Camp Half Bloods infirmary. I must say I was wary about the food and drink of the gods method but the healers here seem quite competent.” Nico frowned slightly as she tried to sit up. 

 

“Wouldn’t know. Haven’t been in here before.” Reyna frowned. 

 

“You have far too many scars to have never received medical attention from someone.” Nico shrugged. 

 

“Not really my first priority these past few years.” Reyna frowned at her but a voice from the doorway spoke before she could reprimand the daughter of Hades. 

 

“Well that’s gonna change! And quickly.” They both looked up to see Will in the doorway holding a short glass filled with ice and what looked like apple juice. There was a tiny umbrella, a cherry skewered at the end of the umbrella. The healer stepped over to them and sat down opposite Reyna, holding out the glass to Nico, the bright yellow straw towards her face. Nico raised a condescending eyebrow that Will returned until Nico relented and sipped from the glass. Will frowned as she pulled a face. 

 

“You feeling warmer than normal?” Nico shook her head but didn’t take another sip. Will stared her down, Reyna watching the two with interest. Nico finally sighed and shifted slightly in the bed before answering. 

 

“It tastes like hot ash. Everything tastes like hot ash.” Will frowned and set down the glass. 

 

“Reyna mentioned something might be wrong with your mouth. Stick out your tongue.” Nico frowned but complied after a few moments. Will stared at it for a moment, her eyes wide. 

 

“What?” Nico blushed slightly and returned her tongue to its proper place. Reyna made a mental note of the blush as Will shook her head incredulously. 

 

“Every single taste bud you have is burned, no wonder you can’t taste anything! I’m surprised you can talk! Good gods, you need to stop getting hurt death girl!” Nico pulled a face at the name but was stunned when Will gently put a hand under her chin and ordered her to open her mouth with her tongue out. Nico grumbled but did as she was told. Will placed a hand just above Nico’s tongue and closed her eyes beginning to chant. Reyna watched fascinated as small particles of light fell from Will’s fingers and palm onto the burned ruined flesh. Where the light touched new skin appeared and when Will was done Nico’s tongue no longer had a black tint. The blonde smiled and picked up the glass again. She made Nico take another sip and her eyes lit up as she did this time. Will smiled. 

 

“Better?” Nico nodded as she drained the glass. Will looked satisfied. She set down the glass again and stood. 

 

“I need to check on your werewolf scratches and them I’m gonna go grab some breakfast for all of us. I don’t want you left alone after what happened yesterday, not till I’m sure that you’re completely solid.” Reyna frowned at Nico’s fingers which were still semi translucent. Will pulled open the windows and early morning sunlight flooded in making Nico blink hard. Will removed the bandages she’d placed on Nico’s arms and went through the same routine she’d done the night before. Carefully cleaning and disinfecting the cuts. This time though she didn’t do the chant. Reyna guessed that she needed to recharge her energy a bit more before she could. She rewrapped Nico’s arms and stepped out to get them all breakfast. Reyna turned to Nico.

 

“Why didn’t you mention that you couldn’t taste anything?” Nico shook her head. 

 

“Wasn’t important.” Reyna glared and Nico sighed knowing that look by now, Reyna wanted more information. “It’s not a good memory. When I was in Tartarus, before the giants got ahold of me, I faced up against a group of Telkiens and I got hurt. There’s only one way to heal someone in Tartarus. The river of fire, Phlegethon, drinking fire has some side effects.” Reyna nodded it certainly didn’t sound like a pleasant experience. She didn’t push farther. Instead she glanced away from Nico looking around at the four other beds in the room. She hadn’t noticed them at first, but since this was apparently the intensive care unit there were other beds here. Only two others were occupied though. One looked to be a boy, completely covered from head to toe in bandages, he looked like he was still asleep. The other held a girl of maybe twelve. Looking back at Nico Reyna caught the daughter of Hades staring at the other girl in the room, a distant look on her face. Before Reyna could ask Will returned with three plates, two piled high, the other more reasonably portioned. 

 

“Breakfast! Oh and Chiron said he would like to speak to you Reyna, when you get the chance.” Reyna nodded and ate with Nico and Will before bidding them farewell and leaving Nico in the capable healers hands. Will took Nico’s vitals again and got her a glass of water before she turned her attention to the other two patients. She couldn’t do much for Jake Mason, save fluffing his pillow and letting him sip a glass of Nectar. She put a few of her fingers to his forehead where it was visible and shook her head. 

 

“A few more days Jake. Then you can head back to your cabin. Be on crutches again in maybe a week. That unicorn draught works pretty well.” She smiled at his quiet reply and let him finish his nectar. Her smile dropped though as she stepped over to the other occupied bed. Nico quietly managed to lever herself into a sitting position. She watched Will check the other girls vitals and bandages, she only had one visible set of them, wrapped gently around her head. Will briefly unwrapped them and chanted over the neat surgical scar. The girl had no hair and never even twitched save for the rise and fall of her chest. Will frowned as she gently rewrapped her head and went to the sink over by Nico. 

 

“What’s wrong with her?” Will frowned as she washed her hands. 

 

“She took a cudgel to the head, one of the romans apparently. Cracked her skull. She got some bleeding on her brain. We’ve relieved the pressure as much as we can, but even with Apollos blessings and Nectar and Ambrosia there’s only so much we can do.” Nico nodded. The girl was in worse shape than Will would admit. Nico could feel it. She was teetering on the edge of life and death. She didn’t tell Will that though. The frown on the blondes face made the room seem less bright, as if the sunlight had dimmed. Will shook her head and dried her hands. 

 

“Well I need to check the roster for today and make sure whoever’s on duty does their rounds. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes. I’m sending in one of my siblings though. You’re not gonna be alone for a bit. You nearly faded again yesterday.” Nico nodded, exhausted. Will seemed to sense it, and that Nico didn’t want to go back to sleep. 

 

“Don’t worry about dreams, The Hypnos cabin is making sure that you won’t have nightmares for a bit. I called in a favor. Get some sleep Nico.” Nico blinked at Will but nodded slightly before laying back down. Despite her bed being in direct sunlight it didn’t take her long to fall asleep.


	5. Three Days: Suspicion and Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visitor brings out a truth and Death is unavoidable, for some.

Nico woke up a few hours later to someone gently poking her face. She swatted the hand away. A familiar laugh roused her entirely. She opened her eyes to see the bright green ones of Percy Jackson. The tall daughter of Poseidon grinned at her. 

 

“There she is! Chris from Apollo said we could visit if we were good.” Nico frowned at Percy.

 

“And poking me in the face is good? Wait we?” Nico glanced around the room and spotted Arthur standing by the bed of the girl who had head trauma. Percy’s smile dropped into a frown.

 

“That’s Teressa from the Athena cabin. She’s one of their youngest. Arthur’s really worried about her. Will says she doesn’t know when she’s going to wake up.” Nico nodded pulling herself up into a sitting position. The light was still very bright on her and that was when she realized that there were two sun lamps hanging from the ceiling. These were no ordinary sun lamps though, they looked like actual miniature suns, though they were less bright than the real thing, thankfully. Percy nodded as she glanced up at them too. 

 

“Will set those up before she left to take her break. She’ll be back after her nap. She said they should help you keep from fading.” Nico nodded tearing her eyes away from the miniature suns. She instead turned her focus back to the daughter of Poseidon. 

 

“So why are you here?” Percy pulled a face at Nico.

 

“To see you. You’re still one of my friends, no matter what.” Nico knew what Percy was talking about, the fact that she’d had such a crush on the daughter of Poseidon. But she hadn’t been lying. She was completely over the other girl. “Arthur also wanted us both to get our mouths healed, burns from the Phlegethon are a bitch. How are you doing with all of that?” Nico shrugged. 

 

“Will fixed up my mouth earlier.” She didn’t say more. Percy twitched slightly. 

 

“Listen, Arthur had an idea. Once you’re up for it we could all sit down and talk about what happened down there.” A throat cleared as Arthur stepped up to them and nodded. 

 

“I thought it might be good for all three of us. A kind of support group. I know the nightmares get bad and talking about it is one of the best ways to work through it." Nico nodded slightly. 

 

“Smart.” Arthur frowned. 

 

“Would you like to though?” Nico frowned looking around. Jake Mason was asleep and Teressa hadn’t woken up, she doubted she ever would. The Apollo on duty was across the room, head buried in a song book. 

 

“It was different for me.” Percy nodded. 

 

“Because you were there alone.” Nico shook her head. 

 

“It’s not just that.” She sighed at the curious look on Arthur’s face and the concern on Percy’s. “My father was entrusted with guarding the entrance of the pit, that’s why it appears in the underworld. But the pit laid a curse on his children because of this.” She closed her eyes and shuddered for a minute. “I saw its face while I was down there.” Arthur gasped loudly and Percy’s hands flew to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. 

 

“Oh gods, Nico.” 

 

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” Arthur nodded and guided Percy out of the chair. 

 

“That’s alright Nico. You don’t have to talk about it. But if you ever change your mind you know where to find us.” Arthur reached out a hand and Nico stared at him for a moment. Then she let a soft smile pull at her lips and gave the son of Athena a soft high five. Percy slipped Arthur’s grip and quickly hugged Nico. She stiffened but after a moment allowed herself to enjoy the hug. Percy let go first and smiled at Nico. 

 

“Get some sleep Neeks.” Nico pulled a face. 

 

“Don’t call me that Percy.” Percy nodded slightly and left hand in hand with Arthur. It didn’t take too long for Nico to slip off to sleep.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The next time she woke it was to a depressingly familiar feeling. It was slightly colder in the room and the Apollo kid on duty was racing to the door calling for backup. Nico sat up as one of the shadows in the corner of the room furthest from her moved. No one else would have seen it though for to most demigods Thanatos was invisible unless he chose to be otherwise. Dark wings fluttered as he nodded in Nico’s direction. They knew each other well enough. She often ran errands for her father, ferrying messages, and dead souls that had escaped. Some people claimed that death was an old friend but for Nico that was true. 

 

A group of Apollos ran into the room led by Will who was looking slightly pale under her curly yellow hair. Nico knew it was futile. Death had come for Teressa and there was no way even she could stop him. She watched as he approached the bed slowly, passing straight through some of the Apollo children as they worked to save the daughter of Athena. Thanatos shook his head as Will called for the defibrillator. Stepping up to the side of the bed Thanatos spoke in a voice Nico knew only she and the dying girl could hear. 

 

‘Teressa Hamel, your time has come.’ Nico watched sadly as the girl’s spirit sat up from her body, the Apollo kids doing everything in their power to save her. She looked scared, not understanding what she saw. She spotted Thanatos and tears like great white pearls gathered in her eyes. 

 

‘I… I don’t want to die.’ Nico closed her eyes and focused. She could talk to spirits without speaking if she tried hard enough. 

 

‘You will reach Elysium.’ The ghost turned her way, eyes still shining. Nico could still see the ghost even though her eyes were closed. She hesitated but reached into the shadows and handed the ghost a drachma. 

 

‘You will find peace and a hero’s welcome. You have nothing to fear.’ Teressa nodded at her and bowed slightly. 

 

‘Thank you.’ With that she turned back to Thanatos who smiled at Nico and inclined his head her way again. He took the young girls hand and they vanished as the Apollo kids began to swear. Nico was wobbling in the bed. The last thing she saw was Will turning towards her a look of concern on her face. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Will felt Teressa slip away, the light inside her dying out and closed her eyes for a moment praying to all the gods she could name that she’d passed without pain. Then she felt a spike of pain and felt Nico’s life force flicker. She turned just in time to see the girl fall back onto the bed, her outline blurring slightly. She swore loudly and nearly tripped over herself to get to the daughter of Hades. 

 

“I am not losing two in one day! Do you hear me Di Angelo! It’s not happening!” Will shouted as she placed her hands on the slightly translucent girl and chanted, her brothers and sisters joining in moments later. This time when she was solid again Will couldn’t see the blankets through her fingers and she was still breathing, her heart beating normally. Will let out a sigh of slight relief as one of her other siblings said a Greek blessing over Teressa and pulled the sheet over her head. She sent Austin to go tell Arthur what had happened and took over watch of intensive care for the rest of the day. She had a bone to pick with Nico when the girl woke up. 

 

It didn’t take long for the Athena cabin to trickle in and crowd around their sister’s bed. She had been all of twelve years old, too young to have been fighting wars yet but here they were. Arthur carefully removed the sheet and he and several others replaced it with the shroud they had made. It was woven beautifully, silvery grey fabrics with Athena’s owl painstakingly detailed on it. They would have a funeral for the girl that night. Arthur stepped away from the bed wiping tears from his face. He stepped over to Will. 

 

“Thank you, you did everything you could.” Will looked down at her feet. 

 

“I should have done more.” A voice from behind Will made them both jump. 

 

“You couldn’t have done more.” Nico was sitting up again. Will turned to her ready to berate her for using her powers again, even though she had no idea what she’d actually done but Nico looked so tired she couldn’t bring herself to yell. Nico kept going looking more tired than she had in days. “Thanatos had already come for her by the time you guys even got into the room. There was nothing anyone could have done to save her.” Will frowned. 

 

“You tried though? You used your powers again, that’s why you started to fade again.” Nico shook her head. 

 

“I couldn’t have saved her. I eased her passage. Made sure she had what she needed to get across with Charon. Made it a bit less scary.” Arthur nodded, tears in his eyes. “She’ll reach Elysium without any trouble.” Arthur’s brows drew together. 

 

“You sure? Minos isn’t a fan of heroes.” A smirk crossed Nico’s face at that. 

 

“He also lost his seat on the council, bout three years ago.” Will looked at them like they had just grown extra heads. Nico shook her head, a small smile hidden behind long hair at Will’s face. “Let’s just say that my father doesn’t take kindly to anyone in his realm sneaking around behind his back, especially when they’ve been ordered to help his child.” Arthur frowned.

 

“So, wait Minos was ordered to help you?” Nico nodded. 

 

“Yeah.” Arthur shook his head. 

 

“We thought you found the entrance to the labyrinth and he found you.” Nico shook her head trying to ignore Will who was taking her vitals again. 

 

“No, I shadow traveled for the first time. Something was chasing me around the woods after I ran from Percy. I tripped into a shadow and fell out a different one, in the middle of New York. It was a bit of culture shock. Bianca and I passed out when we stepped out of the Casino.” Arthur nodded, then shook his head. 

 

“Wait why? Percy, Grover and I didn’t.” Nico frowned. 

 

“You guys were at the Casino?” Arthur nodded but was pulled away before Nico could ask more. Will however sat down in Arthur’s vacated chair. 

 

“I’d love to hear about it.” Nico frowned and turned to Will. She was feeling drained after her small use of her powers. Will had small tear tracks on her face. Nico frowned. 

 

“This can’t be the first time you’ve lost somebody Will, you’re a medic.” Will swiped at her face as she nodded. 

 

“True, but it never gets any easier. I’m glad to know she wasn’t scared in the end.” Nico nodded. She wasn’t sure what she should be saying but she reached out a hand and laid it on Will’s.

 

“She didn’t suffer at all. She went peacefully.” Will smiled turning her hand in Nico’s, gently squeezing her hand. Nico let a small smile flash across her face. 

 

“I’m glad. Thank you Nico. Now I wanna hear about this Casino. Cause honestly I’m on intensive care for the rest of the day and I need a distraction now, so why not tell me about yourself.” Nico hesitated. 

 

“Can I have some water first?” Will smiled and nodded. 

 

“Of course.” Will stood up and got her a glass of water with extra ice and checked on Jake Mason as Arthur and his cabin finished saying goodbye to Teressa. Will stopped and said a prayer of her own and sat back down next to Nico. Together they watched the Athena cabin carry their fallen sister out of the infirmary. Nico whispered a prayer of her own as they passed. Once they were gone Will turned back to Nico. 

 

“So Casino, what’s that about?” Nico took a sip of water before she spoke. 

 

“Ok so have you ever been to Vegas?” Will shook her head so Nico continued. “I wouldn’t recommend it. But you’ve read the Odyssey right?” Will nodded. “So remember the part where they landed on an island where the tribe ate a plant they called the lotus, and they tried to lure his crew away, they fed a few the flower and they wanted to never leave?” Again, the blonde nodded. 

 

“Not sure I see where this is going.” Nico shook her head. 

 

“I’m getting there. So, turns out they weren’t quite human. Most Greeks called them Lotophagoi, lotus eaters. When Greece moved, so did they. They still exist, they run out of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. Once you’re inside you never want to leave. It’s so enticing to stay too. So much to see and do. And what seemed like every day there were new things that just seemed to appear overnight. Then one day a woman claiming to be a lawyer showed up and had to physically drag us out of there. I didn’t want to leave, I was playing something called Mario Cart. It had just shown up a few days before. Of course that was probably a few years back but still. When she got us outside the last thing I remember is a really bright light, then waking up in a car at Westover Hall.” Will nodded slightly. 

 

“So how long were you there?” Nico shrugged. 

 

“About seventy years.” Will nodded slightly. 

 

“Makes sense, you would need a significant time skip to have been born in the 1930’s and still be fourteen. How long did it feel though?” Nico shrugged sipping her water. 

 

“Not sure. A week, maybe. Maybe a bit less.” Will nodded slightly. 

 

“That’s some strong magic.” Nico frowned slightly.

 

“What do you know about magic?” Will’s grin turned a bit devilish, Nico frantically ignored the skeletal butterflies in her stomach at that. 

 

“My best friend Lou Ellen is a decent teacher. I don’t have the knack for it though.” Nico nodded. It made sense, she remembered Lou changing romans into pigs. She felt a sudden wave of tiredness and yawned loudly, feeling her jaw crack as she did. Will smiled slightly. “Get some sleep Death Girl. We can talk more later.” Nico nodded laying back down. A yawn from Jake Mason drew Will’s attention to the doorway where Clovis was propped up, sound asleep against the doorframe. Will laughed and stood, steping over to the son of Hypnos. With one hand she steadied him, with the other she found the rubber band he wore around his wrist and pulled it back letting it smack him. He jolted, waking up blinking. Jake opened his eyes indignantly. Nico remained sound asleep. 

 

“What do you need Clovis?” Will asked guiding her friend into the chair near the door. 

 

“Well I wanted to see how she was doing. The cabin’s almost entirely asleep.” Will shook her head.

 

“That’s normal though.” Clovis shrugged slightly. 

 

“Kind of. Normally when we sleep we’re dream walking. Checking out other people’s dreams, gathering information, stopping nightmares. But right now most of us are too tired to do that. Nico wiped us out. She’s got some intensely dark nightmares. We’re taking her in shifts now. I think she needs to talk to someone…” He trailed off as he drooped and fell asleep midsentence. Will reached over and snapped the rubber band again. Clovis came to with a start. 

 

“Wha? Oh, Will, where was I?” 

 

“Taking care of Nico’s dreams in shifts.” Clovis yawned and nodded. 

 

“Yeah. She’ll still be good for the next two days or so but after that we’re gonna need a break from her dreams.” Will turned towards Nico, concern on her face. Nico hadn’t talked about what had happened to her during the war with Gaia, or anything after she’d left camp the first time. Will shook her head. She didn’t have a right to pry unless if affected Nico’s health. She would wait to see what happened, but she would respect Nico’s privacy. She left Clovis to his nap, If Nico hadn’t woken up like Jake had then she needed all the rest she could get. 

 

So after one last glance over at the brunette’s bed she grabbed the notebook she’d been using that morning and began to take stock of their supplies in Intensive Care. It wasn’t like she was going to get any sleep anyway. For some reason, she was one of the few people who weren’t affected by the presence of the members of the Hypnos Cabin, but it only worked during the day. At night she was as susceptible as any to the sleepy feel that trailed behind the children of the god of sleep. The other campers liked to joke that Will was solar powered. She grinned at that thought.


	6. Three Days: The End Of The Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico gains an ally, Will has a crush.

Will grinned slightly at the figures in the door way. Jason Grace and Piper Mclean were both grinning at her hopefully. She rolled her eyes looking over her shoulder at the bed still lit by the sun lamps. 

“She’s still asleep. She’s cute but not a whole lot of company when she’s asleep. And if you wake her up I swear I will have you sedated and tossed back into your cabins.” Piper snorted and Jason nodded. 

“Swear we won’t wake her up. Not intentionally anyway. We just wanna make sure she’s ok. Hazel, Frank and Reyna are all so busy they can’t check on her right now so we wanted to.” Will sighed at Jason’s pout. 

“Alright. Get in here.” Jason smiled wide as Piper grinned at Will and they stepped passed her. The daughter of Apollo rolled her eyes at them and went back to inventory. Piper and Jason settled down around Nico’s bed. It didn’t take her long to wake up on her own. She sniffled slightly and yawned wide, rubbing her eyes. Piper wanted to coo. The daughter of Hades looked like a kitten someone had left out on the sidewalk in the rain, ragged and a bit sad. She blinked at them and frowned at Jason. 

“You’re not Will.” Jason stifled a giggle. 

“No I’m not.” Nico sat up rubbing her eyes, pushing her long hair out of her face. 

“Was talking to Will.” She blinked around the room and Will smiled from her spot in front of the sink cabinets. 

“Clovis came to see me. He has that effect on people, no need to worry Death Girl.” Nico pulled a slight face at the nickname but Piper noted the gleam of affection in the deep brown there and filed that away for later. 

“Whatever Sunshine.” Will brightened and continued with her inventory. One of her brothers Nico didn’t recognize knocked on the door. She stepped aside and Nico turned her full attention to her visitors. 

“Grace, Mclean. What are you guys doing here?” Jason shrugged. 

“Honestly we wanted to make sure you’re ok. Hear you’re in here for the long haul.” Nico rubbed her eyes. 

“Three days in the infirmary. Then I need to redecorate the Hades Cabin. Cause it’s awful.” Piper raised an eyebrow. 

“I thought you built it.” Nico nodded. 

“I did but I didn’t stay long enough to furnish the thing. So someone decided to go all Dracula all over the inside of it. I don’t feel like sleeping in a coffin thanks.” All three of them shuddered at the idea. Piper frowned. 

“That is awful. Want some help?” Nico nodded slightly. 

“Don’t see why not. Hazel should have some input. She’s gonna stay there sometimes too. I’m not sure what I would decorate it like though.” Piper, who’d been running a skeptical eye over Nico since she entered the room, turned to Jason.

“How about you go see if Chiron has any magazines for godly decorating J?” There was a lilt Nico recognized at once as Charmspeak as Jason stood and marched out of the room looking glazed but determined. Nico frowned, really wishing she hadn’t relinquished her sword when she’d come in here. Piper might be a less skilled fighter than her or Percy or Jason but she could be even more dangerous if she wanted to be. 

“Ok Nico, fess up. How come you’re still wearing what you were wearing at the battle?” Nico blinked at her then down at herself and felt herself go very red in the face. She fiddled with the ruined hem of the Hawaiian shirt as she muttered something Piper couldn’t quite hear. An Apollo kid came in and set a small meal down on her bedside table, before leaving again. Piper frowned. 

“Didn’t quite catch that.” Nico sighed. 

“Cause it’s all I have.” Piper stared at her, Nico flushed, picking at her food. “Fighting two wars doesn’t really leave much time to go shopping. It hasn’t been a priority.” Piper frowned slightly. 

“You mean you haven’t been a priority.” Nico looked up at her, she sounded a lot like Will. “Well that’s changing. I’ll see what I can scrounge up that not florescent from my cabin. Be back in a bit.” Nico caught her arm. 

“Please don’t tell anybody.” Piper smiled at the bedridden demigod. 

“Of course not Nico. Why do you think I sent J on a wild goose chase? Don’t worry. Won’t tell anyone unless I have to. And if you’ll let me I would still like to help redecorate the Hades Cabin.” Nico nodded and smiled slightly. 

“Thanks.” Piper grinned. 

“No problem. We Demigods have to stick together.” With that Piper sauntered out of the room. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Piper Mclean had a deep respect for Nico. She didn’t know her all that well but she’d heard story after story after story of this girl and everything she’d been through and fought for by herself. She was determined to get to know her, and at the moment the girl didn’t seem too averse to the idea. Jason was right about her. She needed friends. The tiny grin she’d shot Will’s way had been almost brighter than the sunlamps. She strode into the cabin and turned to Mitch and Lacey. 

“I need help.” Lacey perked up from her magazine and Mitch grinned slightly. 

“Does this have anything to do with Drew’s broken nose?” Piper shook her head. 

“No. It’s something of a fashion crisis, but not for me.” Lacy shot to her feet, Mitch looking interested set down his nail polish. He blew on his violet nails as he spoke. 

“Who for?” 

“Nico Di Angelo. No questions why but I need at least two outfits and a pair of pajamas, maybe some boots. Nothing florescent, nothing pink and she has to be able to fight in all of it.” The two Aphrodite children saluted their cabin councilor and began to search through the spare closet. Piper went over to her own bunk to see what she could find. 

Between the three of them they managed a serviceable pile of clothing. Black skinny jeans Mitch assured Piper would fit Nico like a glove, a few black tank tops, some button ups a pair of well worn black sneakers, and a pair of deep purple pajamas. Piper nodded at her siblings. 

“Perfect! You two are the best.” They grinned and blew her kisses as she took the bag of clothes and headed back up to the infirmary. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Alright! Death Girl, we’re gonna get you out of those awfully rags and into a shower. Should I send someone out to get some clothes from your cabin? We don’t have any spare gowns or scrubs right now.” A voice cut across Will before Nico could blush and admit that if Will were to enter the Hades cabin she would find unslept in beds and dust. Piper had appeared, kaleidoscope eyes twinkling, a bag in her hand. 

“I’ve got her covered! She asked me to grab some things from her cabin when Jason and I were in here earlier. Got everything you asked for.” Piper said waving the bag. Nico could have hugged her on the spot. Will nodded as Piper handed the bag over to Nico. Will helped Nico stand and guided her to the bathroom, which were private in the infirmary for which Nico thanked all the gods she could name. Will left her with a bell.

“If you fall or need help ring it and I’ll be there.” Nico took it and set it on the sink. Once Will was gone she locked the door and let out a sigh, digging into the bag Piper had supplied. They would work, not her usual skull shirts but she hadn’t been expecting that, she hadn’t expected so many demigods to be so helpful towards her. But here she was. She smiled and showered. She took longer than she probably should have. Her hair was tangled and nearly matted in some places but she got it untangled. It was much longer than she’d expected it to be, even if some of the ends were singed and uneven. It hit her nearly halfway down her back, a slight curl preventing it from reaching lower. She was going to take a knife to it as soon as she could. She usually kept it shoulder length but she’d been a bit busy lately. She dressed in the short sleeved pajamas Piper had provided. She pulled a pair of fuzzy socks onto her feet and wiggled her toes, she’d never had socks like this before. They were magenta but they were very comfortable. 

She unlocked the door and stepped out of the bathroom. Will grinned as she made a few notes on Jake’s chart.

“For a minute there I was worried you might have been trying to drown yourself.” Will turned and nearly froze. She’d never seen Nico with her hair down before. It was long and luxurious looking now that it was clean. She grinned and gestured Nico back towards her bed which had been outfitted with new sheets and bedding. Nico slipped in and Will checked her over again. 

“Looking good there death girl! Werewolf scratches are still a bit touchy but that’s to be expected.” Got two more days in here before I’m gonna let you get back to being a hero. I’ll make sure you’re back in as good a shape as we can get you though.” Will shifted the Sun lamps and they dimmed. Nico yawned. 

“Get some more sleep Death Girl.” Nico frowned at Will, even as she began to drift off. 

“Don’t like that one so much.” Will frowned. 

“Really?” Nico was nearly asleep. 

“Not so bad when it’s you.” Will grinned as Nico’s breathing evened out.


	7. Questing: Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of a quest, a question in a relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided I wanted to do a reigniting the oracle Quest a long time ago. I'm rewriting it for AO3, just for fun. Will start doing chapter summaries so it's easier to see what's what at a glance.

It had been nearly six months since the fall of Gaea, everything seemed to finally be at peace. Will should have known it would never last. She and Nico were in the area, Nico watching from a safe distance in the stands as Will tried to sharpen her skills, or lack thereof, with a bow. Nico had come so far since the defeat of Gaea, she was even beginning to get her natural Italian tan back. She smiled more and had even taken to volunteering around the infirmary and had taken over Percy’s sword fighting class when the daughter of Poseidon had gone back to her mother’s for the school year. Jason had stayed behind in Camp Half Blood and had taken Nico under his wing. She had been reluctant at first, but they were the best of friends now a days. She was also getting better at physical contact, Will was helping with that. They would hold hands around camp and Will was getting her used to random public displays of affection though she never pushed Nico past her own comfort zone. 

They had yet to actually kiss, though they had been together for about four months. Will shook herself out of her contemplation of the daughter of Hades and pulled back the string on her bow taking a deep breath before she let the arrow fly. With a thud, it landed on the target. Not the one she’d been aiming for but it was a slight improvement. There was a muffled laugh from the stands. Will stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend and spotted Leo making his way towards the daughter of Hades before she went back to her practice. The great thing about this bow was that she never actually had to reload it, it was a gift from her father. Well-meant but she couldn’t help but feel that it had been a bit misplaced when he’d given it to her. She’d tried giving it to one of the actually competent archers from the Apollo cabin, but it only worked for her. She loosed a second arrow that struck the ground near her target. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. 

“Will, Leo needs my help with something. I’ll try to be back in time for dinner ok?” Will grinned lowering her bow and wrapping an arm around her girlfriend. 

“Alright darling. I’ll see you then.” Leo made gagging noises behind them and Will flipped him off behind Nico’s back. She wanted nothing more than to peck her girlfriend on the cheek but she always let Nico initiate these things, she didn’t want to push the daughter of Hades away so she settled for running a hand through her hair before she raced off after the son of Hephaestus. They made an odd pair but after Leo’s death and subsequent resurrection he and Nico had gotten quite a bit closer, mostly due to Leo’s persistent self-made mission to teach Nico everything about pop culture.

Will blamed him entirely for Nico’s addiction to Game of Thrones which Nico was trying to get Will into. They’d only gotten halfway through season one together but Will had taken to using Khal Drogo’s term of endearment for Daenerys for Nico who retaliated in kind. Will sighed wistfully and turned back to the archery range. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“So, what are we doing out here? And why did you make me put on armor for this Leo?” The mechanic smiled sheepishly. He was wearing armor too though it was a bit big on him, clearly made for someone other than himself. Nico didn’t really have room to talk though, hers was a bit big on her too and way too heavy. That was part of the reason she preferred her stygian iron blade to celestial bronze. The metal never felt quite right in her hands, or on her person. 

“Chill Batgirl. I just need your help getting rid of a few pests.” Nico rolled her eyes as they ventured further into the forest. 

“Why would I do that, what’s in it for me Iron Man?” Leo flashed her a grin as he led the way towards a large rock formation.

“Cause I hear you’re the person to talk to about this type of monster. Giant Pit Scorpions.” Nico looked at him skeptically. “Plus, I’ll show you why we’re getting rid of them?” Nico shrugged, it wasn’t like she had anything fantastically better to do. She’d heard from Chiron that the hunters of Artemis were headed towards camp and she really just wanted to avoid them. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Thalia but she didn’t need the bitter reminder of her sister. Leo grinned at her slightly as they forged on ahead. 

“So, you and Will? How’s that going?” Nico rolled her eyes. It had been a while since Leo had been back at camp. He and Calypso, his immortal girlfriend, had taken to wandering the world to see as much of it as they could but it was nearing the holidays and Leo had decided to come back to camp to spend them with the people he considered family. Nico frowned slightly.

“Well I thought it was going great. But we’ve been dating nearly four months and we haven’t even kissed yet and I … What was that?” There was a loud rustling ahead of them and Leo dropped his voice to a whisper. 

“That would be our pest problem. But don’t think we won’t be coming back to your problems once we’re done.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Will frowned looking around the dining pavilion again. It wasn’t overly crowded given that it was mid-November and most campers were at home with their mortal relatives. Will had been a year rounder for a long time so she always stayed here, along with several of her brothers and sisters, and a few others. She frowned down at her plate. Nico still hadn’t shown up. Neither had Leo for that matter, Will picked at her pasta absently as Chiron called for the camper’s attention and announced the arrival of the hunters of Artemis. There was a polite round of applause as Thalia led the other silver clad girls into the pavilion walking alongside a small redhead girl who was glowing silver and could only be Artemis herself. Jason was bouncing in his seat at seeing his sister again.

“This is an unexpected honor Lady Artemis.” The applause grew a little louder but the air also grew more tense. It was almost never a good thing when a god or goddess showed up unexpectedly at camp. She inclined her head at Chiron and spoke in a whisper to Thalia who nodded and bowed before racing over to the Zeus table and embracing her little brother. Artemis smiled at them, a hint of nostalgia behind her eyes as Thalia gave Jason a noogie. 

“I am here on an important mission Chiron. I need to speak with you privately.” The centaur nodded, bowed slightly and left the pavilion following the goddess towards the woods. Will speared a piece of pasta on her fork as the feeling of foreboding in the air rose to obnoxiously distracting levels. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Artemis led Chiron just far enough away from the pavilion that no one would be able to overhear them. Then she turned to the centaur a frown on her face. One of Chiron’s front legs pawed the ground nervously. 

“This is about the Oracle, isn’t it?” Artemis nodded. Though most of the campers remained in the dark the Apollo and Hades cabin’s both knew about Rachel’s precarious condition. About a month after the defeat of Gaea Rachel had fallen ill. At first it had seemed like a simple cold but it grew steadily worse and worse until she fell into a coma just over a week ago. Nico said that Rachel herself was not at risk of dying, at least not yet but something seemed off about the spirit of the oracle that rested inside her, as if it were being drained or poisoned. But since it didn’t act like a normal spirit she couldn’t be sure.

“I am here to issue a quest in my brother’s place. His oracle is dying and our father refuses to allow him to leave Olympus to help her. He is still angry with Apollo about his legacy’s actions that nearly brought war upon us.” Chiron nodded slowly. Zeus could be quite irrational when his power was threatened, it made sense that he would shift the blame from a dead legacy to their godly relative.

“I can see why you didn’t wish to speak of this in front of the demigods. No need to insight fear just yet.” Artemis nodded slightly. 

“Not that, one of the ones required for the quest wasn’t present in the pavilion.” Chiron sighed.

“No Percy went home…” Artemis cut him off.

“Not the daughter of Poseidon. The daughter of Hades.” That made Chiron raise an eyebrow but he nodded.

“As far as I know she’s still at camp. She was here this morning for her sword fighting class at the least.” Artemis nodded. Chiron checked his watch it was nearly time for the campfire. 

“Perhaps she will show her face at the campfire, if not we can send another demigod to find her. I’m sure she’s fine.” Artemis nodded and followed Chiron back to the pavilion. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

 

Nico flipped over the body of a large black scorpion slashing the end of its sting off as she went. It screamed as black goo dripped from the now useless tail. Leo was busy with the other one, holding it off at least, they seemed rather flame resistant. It didn’t take too long to finish them off and smash the nest full of eggs though by the time they were finished they were both coated in black goop and monster dust. Nico tried in vain to blow a strand of hair out of her face but gave up when another strand of black goop dripped down her face. She sighed and turned to the mechanic who had succeeded in burning off the goo. 

“Remind me why I hang out with you?” Leo grinned sheepishly. 

“Cause I’m cool and you get to fight monsters with me and I have an awesome hideout with better water pressure than the rest of the camp put together and a washing machine that cleans and dries clothes and armor in under ten minutes guaranteed?” Nico frowned at him slightly confused by that last bit until he walked up to the side of the cliff face that the scorpions had been nesting against and placed a hand on it lighting it on fire and opening a sealed door before gesturing her inside. 

“Welcome to Bunker Nine Batgirl.” Nico followed him into the side of the cliff.


	8. Questing:Prophecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prophecy is issued, a gift received.

Will frowned as the campers, satyrs and hunters gathered for the campfire, Nico still hadn’t shown back up. The fire was burning a low nervous grey as Chiron stepped forward and called for quiet.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have an honored guest with us tonight who has come to deliver a message from Olympus. My lady Artemis you have the floor.” Artemis nodded and stood from her spot next to Thalia.

“Thank you, Chiron. I have come to issue a quest.” One of the Athena cabin raised their hand, a younger sister of Arthur’s. Artemis smiled kindly and motioned for the girl to speak. 

“My lady if you don’t mind my asking, why isn’t the Oracle issuing the quest?” There was a murmur of agreement around the circle, echoed by every cabin save the Apollo cabin. 

“She is unable to. The Oracle is dying. This quest is to prevent that from happening.” There was a ripple around the campfire and the flames fell even lower turning black with worry. Artemis paused waiting to hear any other questions but when none came she nodded and pulled a scroll from the quiver at her back. She cleared her throat and began to read. 

“The Oracle’s well in a cavern far, consumed in poison black as tar. The sun, the thief and the magician follow where shadows lead back to Pans hollow. Magic and thief shall lure the snake back to the cave where the bow will break. Sun and moon, shadow and light, only together can they win the fight. Shadow must fall, the sun burn, to save all.” With that Artemis rolled up the scroll and handed it to Chiron as whispers broke out among the gathered demigods. Someone slid in beside Will and she looked up into the slightly confused face of her girlfriend. 

“What did I miss?” Chiron cleared his throat.

“So good of you to join us Miss Di Angelo. It appears we have a quest. Would all current Cabin councilors meet me in the war room please, the rest of you, I think it’s time for bed.” The crowd of demigods dispersed leaving Jason, Nico, Will, Travis, Lou Ellen, Nyssa, Michael, Clarisse, and several others to make their way to the big house. The war room, which had once been the ping pong room but had been used so often for war meeting in the past few years it had been given a new name, was stuffed to bursting and loud as Nico took her place to the right of Jason’s chair which was next to Percy’s empty one. None of the chairs had been assigned but the three of them had naturally migrated to the head of the table at some point and no one questioned it. Chiron banged his gavel, a gag gift from the Stoll’s that came in handy far too often, on the re-purposed ping pong table and cleared his throat. 

 

“Alright. Let’s go over the prophecy again before we jump to any conclusions.” After rereading it off the scroll Artemis, who had decided to stay in the arena, had given him he turned to Nico and Will who always sat next to one another.

 

“It seems clear that the two of you are meant to go on this quest. The sun and the shadows are mentioned several times.” Grover who was present at all these meetings, being the leader of the council of cloven elders, nodded. 

“Plus, Nico you were there when Pan died. It references Pans Hollow, that’s got to be the cave we found him in.” Nico nodded ignoring the mutters from those around them who hadn’t know that. 

“The sun, shadows, magician and the thief. That makes four demigods on the quest.” The air stiffened. Last time more than the normal three had gone on a quest someone died. Will turned to Lou Ellen. 

“Seems like magic would be referring to you Lou. You’re the only magician I really know Lou. Will you come with us?” Lou nodded. 

“And the thief, has to be a Hermes kid right?” Everyone looked at Travis. Nico sat forwards. 

“I’d be more comfortable with taking Cecil. Travis is needed here.” Nico was right. More and more demigod kids were coming in and, thanks to the Romans, out of camp every day. The Hermes Cabin led expeditions between the two camps and had his plate full to bursting without a quest on top of that. Travis nodded at that. 

“Honestly I’d be more comfortable with that too. Cecil is an excellent thief. Plus, he’s closer to the other three questers.” The others nodded. Will turned to Nico.

“I know it was a while ago but do you think you can find Pans Hollow again?” Nico thought for a moment before she nodded.

“I think so, yes.” Chiron nodded. 

“Then the questing group is decided.” Chiron turned to Will. 

“You should check on Rachel. Inform Kayla what’s going on, she is on duty tonight. Then you should all pack and get a good night’s rest. You should leave tomorrow morning.” Will nodded and went to go tell her siblings the news. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Nico was walking past the arena as she headed back to her cabin and heard the twack of a bowstring. She frowned to herself as she stepped passed the entrance and a voice echoed from inside.

“You don’t like me very much do you Nico?” Nico shrugged stepping forwards to stand in the shadowed doorway, watching Artemis shooting silver arrows at a target. Artemis smiled slightly as she loosed another arrow.

“I understand you know. All those years ago, I took away your sister and wouldn’t let you join the hunters. Truth be told I would be overjoyed to have you as a huntress, but your father contacted me and warned that if I took away both his children there would be retribution. Your sister was brave but enough dwelling on the past. I have a gift for you.” The goddess turned and stepped over to Nico. Artemis reached into the pocket of her silver snowboarding jacket and pulled out a bracelet. It would have been a simple silver band had it not been for the small moon charm hanging from the exact center of the bracelet and the name engraved into the interior. ‘Bianca Di Angelo.’ Nico stared at it. 

“It would have been your sisters, I wanted to train her to be my lieutenant, but as we both know I never got that chance.” Artemis slipped the bracelet onto a stunned Nico’s wrist where it shrank slightly, it would be impossible to remove but it wasn’t uncomfortably tight.

“Touch the charm.” Nico obeyed still a bit shell shocked. It glowed for a second then a bow materialized in her hands, long and silver and glowing slightly. Like Will’s bow it had no quiver but an arrow lay next to it in Nico’s hand. The name and the moon remained on the bow like they had been when it was a simple bracelet. Artemis touched the moon engraved on the bow and it shrank back to wrap around Nico’s wrist. 

“There is a catch, as there almost always is with this kind of thing. Since you are not a hunter the bow will only work for you so many times, it will eventually run out of arrows or more likely break. I do not how many times it will work for you, this is the first time I’ve done this for someone who is not a hunter. If you were not already in your father’s employ I would offer you a place among my ranks, but as things are I can only wish for you to be safe on your quest little one.” With that she stepped passed Nico disappeared towards her silver shining cabin leaving Nico alone in the dark.


	9. Questing:Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares reveal the threat they face.

Nico somehow made it back to her cabin and looked around. It was almost unrecognizable as the creepy place it had been just a few months ago. Though still underworld themed it was much more homey with a new fireplace that didn’t burn green and a big screen TV that retracted into the celling. She still had no idea how Leo had managed that one but she was glad he had. She had had some of her best times at camp here. Mostly because of Will and her Disney movies but Jason and Piper would occasionally come over and introduce her to their favorite movies. Leo was also a nearly constant feature when he was at camp as he introduced her to everything pop culture could offer. She smiled slightly at the shelf of books and movies she had somehow accumulated. There was a knock at the door and she called for them to come in. It was Jason as she’d expected, Piper not far behind him. He was holding a black and white duffle bag. 

“Hey so I know you probably don’t want any help and I’ve already had the talk from Chiron about how demigods not involved in prophecies shouldn’t come with but I still wanna help so we got you a few things.” Nico smiled slightly. 

“Thanks Jason.” She took the duffle from him and he grinned as Piper stepped forwards. 

“And I grabbed you this from the infirmary, since Will is busy getting her stuff together for the trip.” She held out a small bag of ambrosia and a canteen of nectar. Nico took them with a smile and allowed Piper to pull her into a hug. 

“Be safe Nico.” Nico nodded. Jason ran a hand through his hair. 

“You know I’m gonna have to tell Hazel, Reyna, Percy and Arthur you’re going off on a quest right?” Nico scrunched her nose in distaste, not for the people but for the worry that she knew this news would cause.

“Kinda wish you wouldn’t, if only so they won’t worry.” Jason frowned slightly.

“I know but they will kill me if I don’t. I do not wanna get on Reyna’s bad side. Not to mention Hazel could drive me completely nuts with a look. Your sister kinda scares me Nico.” Nico bit back a laugh.

“As well she should Jason. I should be packing though.” Jason nodded and hugged Nico.

“Be safe out there, ok?” Nico nodded and began packing as the other two demigods left. Once she’d packed several changes of clothes, the nectar and ambrosia Piper had supplied and a few other necessary items. She set the bag on her small coffee table and lay down. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. As she often did she dreamed, but this one was different. Normally when she dreamed these days it was of Tartarus, or a comforting golden light for which she knew she could thank the Hypnos cabin. There was never an in between. 

This time though she was gliding along into a series of caverns. A large sign outside read Welcome to the Mysterious Carlsbad Caverns. She took note of that and kept moving there was something inside these caves, she could feel it. There was a nighttime spelunking group, all mortals as far as she could tell but she followed them for a bit, curious. She’d only been to these caverns once in her life and that had been through the labyrinth anyway. She paused. The feeling she was following was a familiar one, the sense of death. It would have driven any other demigod, with the possible exception of Hazel, mad in seconds but Nico and death were old friends. She broke away from the group and away down into an unexplored area of the caves. She wandered towards a small fissure in the side of a rock wall. Mist swirled around it further hiding it from mortal eyes, but Nico could see it. She slipped inside it without effort. What she saw inside made her stomach turn. 

It was the remains of a war camp. Sitting in a large cavern was a slew of monsters from hell hounds to empousai. Off to the side was a series of cages with several different kinds of creatures. A satyr lay curled up on his side in one shaking with fear, several Pegasus were chained in another. One of the winged horses was chained apart from the rest, though he looked slightly bedraggled Nico had never seen something so pure white before. In the cage next to the satyr sat two preteens huddled together in what appeared to be torn up school uniforms. A girl and a boy. The girl was sobbing into the boy’s shoulder. The girl had the dark hair and calloused fingers Nico generally associated with the Hephaestus Cabin and the boy had the bright grey intelligent eyes of a child of Athena. Both looked scared but Nico didn’t blame them. There was a laugh from behind her and she turned and hissed in anger. Dr. Thorne, the manticore who had posed as a school teacher at Westover Hall and attempted to kill both Nico and Bianca, stood there in his human guise. Nico thought it was odd that he chose to remain hidden among monsters but then he shifted and the girl screamed and tried to burry herself into the boys shoulder further. The boy stared defiantly. Dr. Thorne laughed. A voice, cold and low echoed around the cavern cutting off all noise save for the girl’s tears. 

“Enough Thorne. Your ssenssess grow dull.” Thorne turned and bowed to a cavern entrance Nico hadn’t noticed but now that she did she wondered why she hadn’t. The head of an enormous snake lay protruding from the next cavern only its head lay in this one. Nico had spent some time around snakes, most liked underground environments and in discovering and closing back ways in and out of the underworld she’d encountered this kind before. It was a gargantuan Black Mamba though the edges of its scales oozed black venom not found in the normal variety of that snake. Beyond the head of the great beast Nico could barely make out a faint yellow light from the cave the rest of its body must be resting in. The fountain, it had to be. But then the snake lifted its head and looked directly at her.

“Sssee. The young daughter of death payss uss a vissit. And sslipss passt all of you.” The enormous tongue flicked out of the mouth of the snake as it slithered forwards slightly coming closer to Nico who found she was no longer able to move. 

“Ssssshhhh little death child. We will meet ssssoon. And after I defeat you and sssteal the life of Apollo’sss preciousss oracle. I will devour the god himsself and poissson all of Olympusss.” The snake hissed what could only have been a laugh and lunged at Nico. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Nico rolled out of bed snatching up her sword and falling into a defensive stance, ready to battle the threat but then her sleep clouded mind caught up to her and she swore loudly. The noise in her cabin stopped. She frowned confused. Then a voice came from outside. 

“Nico? You ok?” It was Will. Nico ran a hand through her hair and set down her sword next to her duffle bag. She walked over to the door and opened it. Will stood before her glowing in the darkness. Nico frowned glancing at the clock on the wall. It was only one am. 

“Will what’s wrong? It’s a bit early to be leaving on the quest.” Will grinned sheepishly though there was a slightly haunted look in her eyes that Nico knew matched her own. 

“Well funny you should mention that.” She jerked her head to the side and Nico peeked out her door to see Cecil and Lou Ellen standing there looking slightly ashamed of themselves. 

“I really hope we didn’t wake you up but none of us could sleep.” Nico nodded and stepped back.

“You didn’t wake me, now get in here before the harpies eat you.” The three scurried into the room. Cecil and Lou Ellen had never been in here before and looked around curious. Cecil laughed. 

“I was expecting dark gloomy skulls everywhere, not nerd everywhere.” Nico chucked a pillow at him and sat down on her bed, Will following her. Cecil and Lou stood near the door looking a bit out of place. Nico sighed as she grabbed the remote off the small shelf near her headboard. 

“Are you two gonna stand there all night or are you going to come watch a movie with me and Will?” Lou laughed and dragged Cecil over to the bed flopping down next to Will who was cuddling with Nico. 

“What are we watching?” Cecil asked trying to look like he wasn’t very happy to be practically cuddling the daughter of Hecate.

“Disney’s Hercules.” Nico said in a tone that dared them to argue. Will laughed slightly but said nothing. Cecil shrugged. Nico fell asleep to Phil crooning One Last Hope and Will buried her face into her girlfriend’s hair. She held back tears. She’d fallen asleep in the Apollo Cabin and had woken screaming startling her siblings awake, tears streaming down her face the image of Nico crumpling in front of her, burning itself into her mind. She just kept telling herself it couldn’t be real. Nico had been holding a silver bow that had fallen from her hands as she fallen. Nico didn’t use a bow, sure she was a better shot than Will but she preferred her sword. She glanced over at Lou and Cecil as the movie kept on playing, Meg pushing her way through the crowd pretending to look for help. Lou was holding a sleeping Cecil and smiled over at Will. Lou and Cecil had been on the porch of the Hades cabin when Will had reached it debating if they should knock or not. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Lou smiled at Will. The daughter of Apollo was one of her closest friends and Lou was happy she’d found Nico. Nico who pissed Will off to no end when she pulled stupid shit that could get her hurt but always made Will smile whenever she let her in. Lou glanced down at the boy who seemed to be actively trying to squash her in his sleep. The memory of her dream crept back into her mind. A wall of oozing black scales cutting her off from Will and Cecil. A hand grabbing hers and pulling her deeper into a black cavern where the baying of hellhounds echoed around her. She shuddered trying to focus on the movie. Will reached out and squeezed her hand. 

“We all have nightmare Lou. They don’t always mean what we think they’ll mean.” Lou nodded squeezing Will’s hand back. They both turned their attention back to the movie as Meg lured Hercules out for a day off. Both demigods fell asleep to the sound of Meg singing.


	10. Questing:Setting Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The questers leave camp and talk about what they're up against.

There was a loud pounding at the door of the Hades cabin. Nico grumbled and tried to sit up but found herself unable to as there were arms wrapped around her. She sighed looking up into the still sleeping face of Will Solace. Cecil and Lou had curled up at the end of the bed. Nico huffed loudly, not disturbing any of the others,

“Come in, it’s open.” Jason pushed the door open. 

“Good I’m glad you’re here, we can’t seem to find the others.” Jason snorted a laugh at the sight before him. Will was curled up behind Nico an arm over her waist, the other resting around her hips. Their legs were tangled with Lou Ellen and Cecil’s. Jason held in a laugh as Piper peeked around the door and grinned wide. 

“It’s alight guy’s we found them!” Lou shot up, her green tipped black hair falling in her eyes. Cecil rolled out of the bed with a squeak and Will grumbled pulling Nico closer making the daughter of Hades blush bright red and try to roll away from the daughter of Apollo. Will didn’t let go however though she grumbled a little louder. Jason was bent double he was laughing so hard. Nico glared at him.

“I will murder you Jason Grace.” Jason just laughed harder wiping at his eyes. Nico’s eyes narrowed. 

“Piper will you do me a favor and find Grover. I need to ask him something, also I don’t want you here when I kill Jason.” Piper laughed and patted Jason on the back before leaving. Stifling their own laughter Lou and Cecil helped pull Nico out of the clutches of her girlfriend. Will whimpered, there was no other word for it, and Nico had to stifle her own laugh as Will sat up rubbing her eyes, serious bedhead stricken hair falling into her face. 

 

“What’s going on?” Nico couldn’t help the smile pulling at her lips. 

“Questing time, that’s what Sunshine. Come on, you need to go get your stuff from your cabin.” Will nodded and stumbled out of Nico’s cabin. She seemed to perk up as soon as the early morning sunlight met her skin. Nico sighed. 

“I swear she’d actually solar powered.” Jason finally managed to catch his breath as Lou and Cecil slipped out of the Hades cabin. 

“That was adorable. Seriously I need to just carry a camera around you two.” Nico rolled her eyes and kicked the son of Jupiter out of her cabin so she could change. She had just finished when there was a tentative knock at her door. 

“Come on in Grover.” The satyr entered a small smile on his face. 

“I’ll never understand how you do that.” Nico smiled. 

“Everyone knocks differently. Jason knocks like someone just died, Piper only knocks twice, Percy generally doesn’t. You knock like I’m gonna attack you if I open the door.” Grover blushed. 

“Sorry.” Nico shrugged.

“You’re not the first, you won’t be the last. It’s a child of Hades thing I suppose. But it’s getting better. It’s also not why I asked Piper to find you. I have a question for you, as leader of the protectors. I need to know if you have anyone in a school in New Mexico, near or around the Carlsbad Caverns.” Grover thought for a moment. 

“I think so. We’ve got satyrs in almost every school, can you be more specific?” Nico frowned, but she knew Grover would keep this to himself if she asked him to, he was a good guy like that. 

“Last night I had a dream, about the Carlsbad Caverns. That’s where we found Pan. In an unexplored section of the caves, so that’s where this quest is headed. There was the remains of a war camp, likely a leftover from the war with Gaea. But I couldn’t tell if it was from before that or not. They had prisoners. Two kids, couldn’t be older than twelve maybe, in school uniforms. A few pegasi and a satyr, which is why I came to you.” Grover paled and bleated worriedly. 

“I’ll take a look at the roster for New Mexico and see if anyone hasn’t checked in in a while. Could you describe the kids for me? Sometimes we’ll send each other descriptions of the kids, in case they get transferred or something happens to us.” Nico nodded. 

“Smart thing to do. A boy and girl, boy’s a blonde, grey eyes, tanned. Child of Athena if I had to guess. Girl’s got dark skin, dark hair, calloused hands, I think her eyes were green. Child of Hephaestus at my best guess.” Grover nodded chewing his fingernail. Nico picked up her duffle bag. 

“Iris message me when you find out. We’re gonna do all we can to rescue them Grover. I just thought you should know.” Grover nodded a small smile on his face. 

“Thank you, Nico. I apricate that.” Nico patted him on the shoulder one more time and left the cabin strapping her sword to her belt as she went. She met up with Chiron on the steps of the big house where Lou Ellen and Cecil were already waiting. She raised an eyebrow, glancing around for Will. 

“Will’s checking on Rachel again. She wants to see how long we have at least at a guess. So how are we getting where we’re going? Also where are we going?” Lou shook her head at Cecil as he just kept on talking. Nico raised an eyebrow at him until he stopped talking. 

“New Mexico. I’ll tell you more once we’re on the road.” Lou smiled slightly. Will came out of the infirmary looking grim. She stepped up next to Nico and took her hand. 

“We have about a week. Rachel’s strong she’s fighting it, but even she won’t be able to fight for long. We need to cleanse the fountain as fast as we can.” Chiron nodded. 

“May the fates be in your favor young demigods, we will pray to the gods for your safe return and your success.” Chiron, Jason, and Piper accompanied them to the top of Half Blood Hill. They were just about to pass through the barrier when there was a shout. 

“Wait!” Leo raced up to them panting and covered in grease. He paused for a second to catch his breath and held out a necklace in his hand. 

“Batgirl! I made a thing!” He was still panting for breath. Nico frowned as Leo shoved the necklace into her hand. 

“Thanks?” He grinned. It was a simple black leather chord with a small white cameo with a black skull in the center. 

“Tap the skull.” Nico rolled her eyes but did. There was a flurry of movement and the necklace expanded into a breastplate made of stygian iron. Leo pulled two more out of his pocket. 

“I would have had them done last night but I had some problems smelting the stygian iron. I had some help though, Hazel sent me the iron. Lou Ellen’s sister Ray, the one who’s dating Nyssa. She put a spell on them so they could shrink down into the pendant things and the straps of the armor come from the leather chord of the necklace.” He smiled and passed one to Will, this one was gold with a bronze sun, and one to Lou this one was bronze with a green flame in place of the skull and a green chord. 

“Don’t worry, Hermes child who’s name I don’t remember, we didn’t leave you out.” Cecil frowned at Leo but let him attach the band to his wrist. 

“That one’s just a shield. Not a slick as Percy’s but I was on a time crunch. I really need to work with Tyson more he’s fantastic with metal work.” Nico smiled and touched the small skull at the top of the breastplate and it shrank back to the necklace. 

“Thanks Leo, you didn’t have to do that.” Leo shrugged. 

“Hey I just wanna make sure one of my best buds doesn’t get herself killed when we aren’t there to help her out.” Nico rolled her eyes.

“You know I survived on my own for years right?” Leo nodded and clapped her on the shoulder. 

“I do, and your skill still scares me, hence why you are batgirl. Go kick some ass out there.” Nico rolled her eyes and pulled the mechanic into a short hug. 

“You’re weird Leo. See you later.” With a few more thanks given out the four demigods headed down the hill. They could just hear Leo as they reached the bottom.

“I told you the McSizzle still had it!” Laughter echoed down the hill. The four of them reached the road and Cecil looked around. 

“So Miss Shadow Guide, how are we getting to New Mexico?” Nico pulled her sword and pricked her palm letting the blood drip onto the pavement. She spoke, dark Greek words none of the others understood. Soon there was a familiar, at least to Will, stretch limo materializing out of the pavement. Jules Albert, Nico’s zombie chauffeur, stepped out of the driver’s seat and opened the door. He made to open the trunk but Nico shook her head. 

“No, we should keep our stuff on us as much as possible. I lose more supplies by setting them down and then getting attacked.” She slipped into the back seat followed by Will. Lou Ellen shrugged and followed. Cecil spluttered for a moment before Nico stuck her head out of the sun roof. 

“Get in or we’re leaving you.” Cecil scrambled into the back seat as Jules slipped into the driver’s seat. His head snapped around on his neck till he was facing them though his head was now backwards on his neck. Lou Ellen giggled slightly Cecil shrieked. 

“New Mexico. As fast as possible, take the short cut.” The zombie nodded and turned his head back to the road. Nico turned to the others and told them to strap in. They did as they were told and the limo took off at speeds that should have been impossible for it. Will squeaked and grabbed hold of the seat as they raced down the road. Nico laughed lightly then sobered quickly at the looks on Cecil and Lou Ellen’s faces. Nico cleared her throat.

“Ok so kind of random question. How often have you three been out of camp since you got there?” Will frowned slightly. 

“Well I got to camp when I was ten. I started attracting monsters a bit early, no one really knows why. My mom’s a musician, she’s constantly on tour. So I’m year round since then. But the Battle of Manhattan counts as going out.” Nico nodded. She’d counted the beads on Will’s camp necklace five beads, five years. Cecil had a camp necklace too only two beads though. Cecil rubbed his head. 

“I’ve been out once since I got to camp, not counting sabotaging the Romans. That was the Battle of Manhattan.” Lou grinned sheepishly. 

“I only got to camp after the battle of Manhattan. It’s why I just got my necklace.” Lou Ellen fingered the necklace around her neck where a single bead lay. It was purple with a golden laurel wreath and the letters SPQR imprinted on it. Nico nodded but Will frowned. 

“Wait why don’t you have necklace Nico? I mean you’ve been at camp nearly four years you should have one.” Nico shrugged. 

“I never stayed long enough to earn a necklace, never throughout the summer.” Will’s frown deepened. 

“Still, we wouldn’t be alive without you.” Nico shrugged but Will apparently wasn’t done. 

“Wait you were here for the bead ceremony this year.” Nico shook her head. 

“I was in New Rome, visiting Hazel and Reyna.” Will shook her head but let the subject drop. Nico cleared her throat.

“So basically, we have three people who have three battles under their belts cumulatively, and me.” Lou Ellen rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah cause you’re nothing special. I mean you only saved the world twice. Shadow traveled across the world to stop a war, found both camps. You know nothing special.” Nico rolled her eyes. 

“Doesn’t mean well be able to beat a monster no demigod has ever beaten.” All three of them raised eyebrows at her. She sighed and began to explain her dream. 

“It had to be Python, there’s nothing else it could be.” It was deadly silent in the limo as they raced along. Will had gone as pale as Nico normally was. She stammered and tried to speak for a moment but Lou beat her to it.

“P… Python?” Nico nodded reaching over and grabbing Will’s hand and squeezing gently. 

“We need to work out a plan. I can get us to the caverns, getting out alive is the challenge.” Cecil threw up his hands nearly sliding forwards in his seat as the limo took a sharp left.

“So, there’s an army in our way and a giant snake Apollo had to take on himself last time. And a well we don’t know how to purify, plus several captives who may or may not be killed before we even get there. And no one’s even brought up the last line of the prophecy about Shadows falling and suns burning. This is a fantastically bad idea.” Lou Ellen smacked him upside the head. 

“Nico’s right we just need a plan.”


	11. Questing: A Safe House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old enemy attacks, a haven is reached.

They were about halfway through making their plan when there was a horrible grinding hiss from the tires and the four demigods were thrown about the inside of the limo as several of their seatbelts snapped. Will grabbed ahold of Nico around the waist and held on as the limo skidded to a halt. It ended up on its side Nico and Will were on what was now the floor while Cecil and Lou Ellen were hanging from what was now the celling. Nico maneuvered out of her seat belt and kicked out the sun roof in two swift hits. 

“Go Will, I’ll get Cecil and Lou.” Will began to crawl out of the limo followed by Cecil while Nico unstrapped Lou Ellen. There was a dark laugh that made Nico’s blood boil. 

“Poor little demigods. All alone on a suicide mission, abandoned by your gods.” Nico rolled out of the car, ignoring the glass that caught on the back of her shirt. Instead she rolled to her feet between the others and the source of the voice. She snarled at the creature in front of her. The manticore that had brought her into all this craziness. It laughed louder. 

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t little Miss Di Angelo. It’s been quite some time hasn’t it.” Nico drew her sword and tapped the pendant on her necklace. The new breastplate snapped into place knocking the glass off the back of her shirt as it went. Several shards dug into her back, but she ignored the pain as she whirled her sword between the monster and her friends. 

“No long enough if you ask me, you slimy piece of…” He laughed again making the hair on Lou Ellen’s neck stand on end. She saw Nico’s fingers, the ones not clenched around her sword moving in quick swirling motions. The shadows around the manticore were moving slowly wrapping around the beast keeping its spines in place.

“Will take Lou and Cecil and run. Now!” Will was about to protest but Lou beat her to the punch grabbing Cecil by the hand and her by the shoulder and taking off into the forest that surrounded them. Will had no idea where they were but it clearly wasn’t New York anymore. It was far too mountainous for that. The ground was covered in snow and ice. Their going wasn’t as fast as they would have liked. There was an angered shriek from behind them. Will tried to turn back but Lou tightened her grip. 

“Nico knows what she’s doing Will. If she thinks she can do this on her own, we need to let her.” Will nodded, worry still written in her eyes as she shivered in the snow. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

 

Nico rolled back to her feet as Dr. Thorne snarled and struggled trying to free himself from the shadows that were wrapping themselves around him. Nico smiled darkly as the shadows continued to wrap around the creature. She dodged as he managed to fire off a few spines. He roared shaking the trees and the wrecked limo which was beginning to smoke. She whirled her sword around again and advanced on her helpless foe. 

“It astounds me that I was ever afraid of you.” Dr. Thorne roared again. 

“You’ll never be able to win, the power to cleanse the fountain doesn’t exist, no demigod has ever had that power. Your gods have been lying to you from the beginning. Python will eat you alive!” Nico rolled her eyes.

 

“Yes, we’ve likely been lied to. It’s happened before but I’m still going to kill you and find a way to save my friend. Enjoy Tartarus, give Achlys my best.” Nico brought her sword down on Dr. Thorne’s neck severing it with one blow. He exploded into dark powder with another howl of rage and pain. Nico smiled to herself before she turned to her crashed limo. The engine was starting to catch fire. She pulled out the bags from the backseat. Cecil and Lou must have had their bags on them because only Nico’s and Will’s were left. She grabbed them and pulled them out of the back of the limo. The fire had spread to the front seat. Jules Albert was still sitting in the front seat even as his jacket caught fire. 

“Go back to the underworld. I’ll summon you if I need you.” The somewhat charred zombie nodded and dissolved. Nico took a deep breath and looked into the shadows that surrounded her. Her hands were shaking slightly, it had been a long time since she’d used her powers this much. She had little trouble finding the others though. After a moment she stepped into a shadow and reemerged a few feet to the left of them. Cecil shrieked as she moved forward and pulled his sword. Nico laughed lightly slowly raising her hands noticing as she did that she could see through the tips of her fingers again. 

“It’s just me. Relax.” Cecil lowered his spear and Will lunged forward wrapping Nico in a hug. Then she flicked the daughter of Hades on the forehead. 

“You aren’t on this quest alone! There’s no need for you to go off on your own. And you need to not use your powers so much like that.” Nico rubbed her forehead sheepishly. Her fingers were solid again though so that was good.

“I wasn’t going to risk you against him. The first time I faced him even Percy couldn’t beat him.” Lou Ellen raised an eyebrow.

“So, did you just leave him tied up or what?” Nico smiled.

“No. I killed him.” There was silence for a moment save for a distant explosion coming from the limo. Nico took a look around. She took hold of Will’s hand. She was feeling really tired after all that shadow magic she’d used. But luckily, she knew just where they were and it wasn’t far away from one of her safe houses. Cecil and Lou Ellen followed them closely through the woods and up the mountain. 

“Where are we going Nico?” Nico motioned towards a clearing up ahead and stifled a yawn. 

“We’re in luck, we ended up somewhere relatively safe.” Nico brushed aside a branch to reveal a small cottage, it was a bit run down but it was a roof. Nico kicked over a rock and picked up the slightly rusty key underneath. She unlocked the door and ushered them inside. 

“Welcome to my safe house. Well one of them.” Nico said gesturing around. The cabin had clearly been abandoned by its previous owner it was out in the middle of nowhere and there was snow on the ground outside nearly a foot deep. Nico handed Will her bag with a smile as Will looked around. 

“So, wait you live here?” Nico shook her head. 

“No. I have stayed here in the past, it’s a relatively safe location. Technology doesn’t work up here, pretty much at all. And it’s just far enough away from the nearest town that monsters would have to know we’re here to be able to find us. There’s a working well about a mile up the trail if we need water. Well it was working a few years ago anyway.” Nico ran a hand through her hair before she made her way over to the old wood burning stove. 

“We should get this going, it gets very cold at nights.” Lou nodded and stood from where she had been sitting on the floor. She set to work on the stove soon it was slight with a cheerful fire. 

“So, where the Hades are we Nico?” Nico was lighting a fire in the hearth. She succeeded and took a step back, yawning and wobbling slightly. 

“Colorado, about three miles outside Rocky Mountain National Park.” Will lifted an eyebrow. 

“You weren’t shadow traveling us this whole way were you?” Nico shook her head. 

“No, I’m lucky to have Jules Albert honestly I don’t need to shadow travel the car, the short cut is basically cutting through passages to and from the underworld.” Cecil grinned. 

“That has got to be so useful! Dude I could use that so easily on raiding missions.” Nico rolled her eyes at Cecil. 

“You aren’t using my short cuts to steal things. Besides you wouldn’t be able to make it through. The ghosts don’t generally like non-underworld dwellers going through their territory.” Cecil frowned. 

“So how come they tolerate you?” Nico grinned. 

“Because I’m the Ghost Queen.” Lou smiled as Will rolled her eyes. 

“Well I’ll take first watch.” Nico said suppressing another yawn. Will shook her head. 

“No, you won’t. I will. You’re about to fall asleep on your feet as it is. Get some sleep I’ll wake you if anything happens.” Nico was going to protest but she yawned instead and finally nodded. 

“Fine. But you wake me up at the first sign of trouble.” Will nodded and Nico pulled out a trundle bed. It was dusty but she lay down on it anyway. She was asleep before her head hit the bed.


	12. Questing:Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two faces make an appearance, one familiar, one not so. Help is offered, under condition.

Soon Lou Ellen and Cecil had found sleep as well but Will sat up on watch. As the fire began to die down and Will wandered over to the stove to grab some more firewood. When she made her way back around she nearly screamed. There was a girl of maybe twelve sitting by the fire, the poker in her hand. She had dark brown hair and eyes that reflected the fire, but no they weren’t reflecting the fire they were filled with it. She raised a finger to her lips. 

“It’s alright. I’m not here to hurt you. My name is Hestia.” Will froze. Hestia motioned for Will to sit next to her. She did and then she realized she’d seen Hestia before. 

“Wait you’re the girl who’s always at the fire back at camp.” Hestia smiled brightly. Her eyes made Will think of home, her mother’s homemade cookies and snuggling up with Nico watching movies. 

“Yes, I do enjoy tending the fire at camp. Family is very important to me, but few stop to talk, Nico was the first in a very long time.” Hestia smiled at the sleeping daughter of Hades. Will smiled at Nico too as she slept on. Then it occurred to her that she should probably question why the goddess was here. Hestia smiled at her.

“I am here to talk to you young Wilhelmina.” Will scowled slightly, she didn’t like her full name.

“Will please. Why me?” Hestia stoked the fire. 

“The other gods can not interfere with this. None of the Olympians are to leave Olympus by order of Zeus. But we minor gods and goddesses can get away with things others can’t. I bring you hope and safety for the night. Your quest. Many believe it will be impossible to complete, that the power needed doesn’t exist, not for a demigod. But you know differently.” Will stared down at her hands and nodded slightly. She knew the truth.

It had happened to her only once, towards the end of the battle of Manhattan. She had been running around trying to keep the other campers alive. Austin had been struck down by one of the enemy archers. Will had lost her bow at some point but all she cared about was healing her brother, she couldn’t lose another one. A large hellhound hand lunged at them and Will had thrown up her hands and the hellhound had disintegrated. A large swath of light was between her and where the hellhound had been. It faded almost immediately but there was no way it had just been in her head. She had saved Austin but no one had seen her do it. She’d tried to do it again since but it didn’t work. 

“I don’t even know if I did that. It could have been Austin.” Hestia shook her head. 

“Austin isn’t on this quest. There’s a reason you are here. You need to believe in yourself. You will be able to access the power when the time comes. But you must not let it take you over. You have to remember yourself when the time comes Will.” Will nodded still looking down at her hands but there was no response. She looked up Hestia was gone. In her place was a small piece of paper with an address written on it in cursive that was hell on Will’s dyslexia. Eventually she made out, 100 Elkhorn Ave Estes Park. Look for the woman in pink. Will shook her head down at the confusing message but smiled none the less. There might be a flicker of hope in this quest yet.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Lou Ellen woke up the next morning to Cecil poking her gently in the ribs. She swatted at the son of Hermes with a grin. He grinned back and put a finger to his lips. He gestured over at the trundle Nico had fallen asleep on. Will and Nico were cuddling, both asleep on the dusty old mattress. Lou rolled her eyes at them. They were adorable, really, they were but it was a bit frustrating at times. Cecil leaned closer and whispered nearly in her ear. 

“That’s not why I woke you up though. Come with me.” Lou raised an eyebrow but followed him anyway. He led her to the top of a rock that overlooked the clearing. The sun was just rising lighting up the sky with so many colors. He sighed. 

“Lou, I umm. Well I… I guess I should just say it. I like you Lou. A lot. And I just wanted you to know that in case this quest doesn’t go well.” Lou took his hand with a smile. 

“I like you too you dummy. And we can do this, monsters are always gonna try and tell us we can’t but that doesn’t mean they are right. I believe in us. All of us. Come on let’s get back to Nico and Will.” Cecil smiled as Lou led them back to the cabin still holding his hand. When they reached the cabin Will was sitting up stroking Nico’s hair, Nico was still asleep. She smiled up at them and motioned for them to sit. She gently shook Nico awake before she explained the events of the night before. She left out the parts about her powers, mostly because she was afraid that they would ask to see it and she didn’t think she’d be able to show them. Nico seemed to know that something was wrong though she didn’t comment she just took Will’s hand and squeezed lightly. Will smiled and showed her the note Hestia had left. Nico took it and nodded. 

“That’s not too far from here. Cute little mountain town, starts to close down around now though, tourist season is ending. Let’s hope that store’s open year-round.” Nico stretched and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. 

“Grab your stuff, I’ll shadow travel us into town. We don’t have time to waste walking.” Will looked like she wanted to protest but she nodded and grabbed her bag. Lou and Cecil hadn’t let go of each other’s hands but Nico didn’t seem to notice. She took Will’s hand and grabbed Lou’s free hand, telling Cecil to grab her shoulder.

“Now this isn’t gonna be pleasant but it’s quick.” Nico wasn’t wrong. It was like running through a cold shower filled with ice and screaming and darkness while it was so fast that it felt like your face was peeling off. But seconds later they were rematerializing in a small alley next to a store that looked like Christmas had thrown up all over it. Will shivered but smiled at Nico, she looked tired but alright and mostly solid.

“Alright it’s just down the road.” They set off down the nearly deserted road past cute little candy shops and small trinket shops. It was a quiet day, almost too quiet. A car would pass every now and then but not often. They made their way down the road carefully until they reached an intersection. Nico pointed across the street to the opposite corner. There was a large sign that read, Trendyz 100 Elkhorn Ave. It looked a bit different than the small shops that surrounded it. It was larger for one and didn’t have the same small town vibe the rest of the buildings did. Nico glanced at Lou. 

“You’re the best with the Mist Lou, anything we aren’t seeing?” Lou shook her head. 

“Not that I can tell. It’s a bit out of place but there’s no guards or anything.” Cecil frowned.

“Do you want me to scout it out?” Nico shook her head. 

“No, I don’t want us to split up again if we can help it. It’s generally just a bad idea.” Will squeezed Nico’s hand smiling slightly. She knew why Nico didn’t want to split up again, she was remembering what had happened during the seven’s quest when Arthur had split from the group. She’d wanted to face the manticore alone but that was different. Lou nodded, the light changed and they crossed the street. The door opened easily. There were a few people in the store which seemed to sell posh decorations. It didn’t take them long to find the woman they were looking for. She was tall with hair down her back a shimmering gold. Her ski jacket was a soft pink and she smiled when she spotted them. 

Will could tell there was something off about this girl but when Nico blinked at her a few times and bowed slightly she knew there was definitely something she wasn’t seeing. But she and the others followed Nico’s lead anyway. The brunette stepped forwards and the blonde smiled wide. 

“My lady Harmonia, I have never seen you outside of Elysium.” Will blinked running over minor gods and goddesses in her head. Harmonia was the goddess of Harmony and general peace. The daughter of Aphrodite and Ares she resided in Elysium, the land of eternal peace. Her smile held everything that was happy in the world in it and her voice was like a soothing hand on a shoulder. 

“Nico daughter of Hades, it is good to properly meet you. You never do stop in Elysium.” Nico nodded. 

“It isn’t my place my lady.” Harmonia smiled slightly.

“I believe it will be someday. You of all people deserve peace after all you have been through.” Nico flushed slightly. Harmonia smiled at the rest of the group. “I see Hestia sent you. She is so kind to all of us, all of her family. There are days I believe we do not deserve such kindness. For all the talk of love the Olympians speak off few care for such things truly.” She turned to will. 

“Your father is one of them, without him Olympus would be such a dull place with more war than music. He brings needed harmony to the gods and I would see him helped. I can do little directly but perhaps I can help his Oracle. She was always his favorite creation.” Cecil stepped up beside Will. 

“So you’ll help us?” Harmonia nodded. 

“I will. But you must do me a service first.” Nico frowned slightly at that but she’d been expecting it. Nothing was ever free. “A rouge spirit in this town has stolen something from me. Something I find dear to my heart, though it has caused me great pain. I would very much like it back. Return it to me and I will see you safely as close as I can to your destination.” Nico glanced at the others then they nodded. Harmonia smiled. 

“You will find the spirit in a hotel on the edge of town, along with the item you must retrieve. When you are finished, meet me at a coffee shop along the Riverwalk here on main street. Be careful demigods.” They blinked and Harmonia had disappeared in a shimmer of golden light. Nico frowned and took a deep breath. 

“Well then come on. We need all the help we can get.” Cecil grinned slightly. 

“Come on it’s just getting an item, shouldn’t be too hard.” Nico rolled her eyes.


	13. Questing: Shining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their next step is made clear, Nico tells a truth.

Lou Ellen was nothing if not an avid reader. She always had been, even before she found out about the world of Gods and monsters. Before she’d learned that her mother was the goddess of magic she had read every moment that she could. Horror stories were a long time favorite of hers and as such she recognized the building as they approached it easily. She gasped and grabbed Nico’s arm, ignoring the glare sent her way.

“Is that what I think it is?” Nico frowned. 

“It’s the most haunted place in the US, except for LA. But La doesn’t count.” Cecil frowned. 

“Why doesn’t LA count?” Nico smiled slightly. 

“Because it’s the built over the underworld. It has no choice but to be haunted. This place though.” Lou Ellen was practically bouncing. 

“But that’s the shining hotel! From the book!” Nico frowned. 

“Lou I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Will let out a soft laugh. 

“One of Lou’s favorite author’s wrote a book about this Hotel, a horror story. It’s called the Shining. It’s really popular.” Nico shrugged.

“He might be clear sighted then, because this place is beyond haunted. It’s a magnet for spirits. That’s why I have a safehouse nearby. I’ve been here a few times, trying to keep the spirits down. But even I can only do so much. If the spirit who stole from Harmonia is still here, this is where he’ll be.” Cecil nodded. 

“Any idea what they might have taken?” Nico frowned. 

“Harmonia wasn’t wearing her necklace. In so much as the minor pantheon have objects of power that’s hers. But it’s not something she’s fond of.” Will stepped up next to Nico. 

“I have to say I’m not actually familiar with her story.” Nico nodded. 

“She has a sad one honestly, she’s the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. She was given to the hero Cadmus in marriage. But Hephaestus wasn’t happy that she existed, because she’s a product of his wife’s affair. So he forged her a gift for her wedding. A necklace he had cursed. Misfortune would follow her children and any who would possess the necklace. It was thought to be lost centuries ago after it was stolen from Delphi and thought destroyed in a fire that killed its owner.” Nico paused in her story to talk to the lady at the front counter who greeted her like she knew her and offered her her usual room. She accepted and booked a second one. It seemed they would have no choice but to split for the night. She handed Lou a key and continued.

“After Cadmus died Harmonia joined Aphrodite’s ladies and served her for a time but Hephaestus wouldn’t leave her be so eventually she sought asylum in a place made for peace. She asked Persephone if she could be safe in Elysium, to help take some stress off my father and be away from Hephaestus. He agreed and she’s been there since, except for the few times she decides to come to the surface. She has a castle in Elysium. I’ve seen here with the ghosts there from time to time but I don’t spend a lot of time there.” Will nodded. 

“She said that. That you don’t think Elysium is for you.” Nico shook her head as she led the others through the halls. 

“It’s not.” Will frowned at that as Nico slipped a key into the lock. They all piled into the room. But the look on Nico’s face told her not to comment on it yet. Instead they all sat on the bed and Nico spoke again. “The spirits don’t start moving till after sunset. Shouldn’t be too difficult to find out who has it. Clearly Cecil is best to actually get the necklace, but whatever you do you cant touch the thing. That’s how its curse is activated.” Cecil nodded. 

“Got it, snatch the necklace, no touchy.” Nico nodded

“I should be able to hold off the spirits for a while but I don’t know for how long. It’s been a while since I had to control ghosts.” Will looked like she didn’t like that Nico would have to use her powers but she nodded. “We’ve got a few hours before we can do much. I’m going to try to get some sleep. Order some room service.” Nico handed Lou a credit card and smiled at the look on Cecil’s face. Nico yawned and flopped onto the bed as Lou and Cecil left for their room. Will paused before flopping down onto the queen sized mattress and frowning at Nico. 

“Why wouldn’t you have a place in Elysium? You’re a hero, you know you are.” Nico shook her head. 

“Doesn’t matter what I am, aside from my father’s daughter.” Will looked at her confused and Nico turned over to face her girlfriend. “When I die, no matter how it happens, or why, or how heroic my actions in life I will go directly to the Palace at Erebus. From there I will continue to do as I have for the past five years. Working to restore the underworld to peace. I’ll probably end up doing that for the rest of eternity.” Will took Nico’s hand.

“That sounds lonely.” Nico shrugged. 

“It doesn’t have to be.” She didn’t say anything else, instead drifting off to sleep. Will pulled Nico closer and ran a hand through her raven hair. She would do everything she could to make sure Nico stayed with her as long and as happily as she could be.


	14. Questing: Titles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blood is spilled and an item of power is returned.

Nico woke up the very second the sun set. She didn’t really have a choice, for the minute the sun went down there was a surge of power only she could have felt of the four of them. Ghosts, though they could be active during the day, were much more active at night. These ghosts were the most active at night, Nico sat up and shook Will at her side who started awake. Nico sat up slowly, she could see the light in the corner of the room flickering and drew her sword, rolling to her feet. She pointed her sword towards the corner and spoke, her voice clear and commanding. 

“You will show yourself.” The corner flickered again and then a form appeared in the darkness, glowing and pearliest. It was the figure of a boy, maybe thirteen. He was dressed in a loose shirt and boots. He bowed to Nico. Will couldn’t understand him but Nico did. 

“My lady.” Nico’s eyes narrowed and she spoke again, still in that commanding voice. Will spotted something flickering into view just above Nico’s dark hair.

“A new spirit has brought something powerful onto this place. Where are they?” The spirit shook slightly and nodded bowing again. 

“The maze. He stole it unto this place hoping it would bring peace, but it has done the opposite. More spirits are howling here than there have ever been. They are restless and the pain grows worse. Help us. Please my lady, my queen. We need peace!” The ghost was flickering like a badly shot projection. One moment he was bowing and speaking normally, the next he was clutching his head and seeming to scream. Nico stepped forwards and pointed her sword at the ghost. It touched the boys chest and he resolved for a moment. 

“To rest with you.” The ghost dissolved in a flicker of white light and for a moment Will saw the thing above Nico’s head clearly. It was a crown. Wrought in gold and obsidian. It glowed just as the ghost had, seeming to be enwreathed in flames of the same stuff the ghost had been made of. She gaped at Nico for a moment before she grabbed their bags and followed her out of the room. Nico tapped her necklace and her armor sprang into place. She nodded at Will to do the same and Will did as she was told, pulling her bow out of her bag as she did. She slung her bag over her shoulder and Nico waved her hand at hers. It was swallowed by a shadow and the two made their way out of the room. They met Cecil and Lou in the hallway. Lou looked shaken and Cecil had his spear drawn and his shield out. 

“No more splitting up ghost girl.” Nico nodded glancing into the room behind them and slipping the door closed to the sounds of screeching cries. 

“We need to get out front. The hedge maze is where the necklace is.” Cecil frowned. 

“How do you know?” Nico took the lead as Will shrugged. 

“She asked.” The others stared at her like she’d grown a second head as Nico paused looking down the hall. Two figures had flickered into being and a loud giggling was echoing down the empty halls. Cecil could hear people in their rooms laughing like they were sure it was a prank. One of them was calling the front desk about people letting their children run through the halls. But there were no children. No living children anyway. Instead two girls in old dresses decked out in faded ribbons, were floating their way. Nico twirled her sword and the ghostly crown flickered back into view as the ghosts chittered at her. 

“Come play with us! Come play my lady!” Nico shook her head. 

“Not this time girls.” She spoke, dark Latin words Will didn’t recognize spilling from her lips. The girls hissed and dissolved into the floor leaving two bloody patches in the hardwood. Nico bypasses the elevators as cheers came from below them. They made it to the first floor, bursting out into a rain of confetti. Nico swore as the ghosts chittered and hissed. They were dancing and drinking and dying all over the room. 

Nico baseball slid under a wire one of the ghosts was wielding and dissipated her attacker with her obsidian sword. The bartender had a gaping hole where the left half of his face should be, but he still tried to smile as he held up a glass of whiskey to Nico, like she was an old friend. She waved him off and he shrugged going back to his bar. Cecil threw up his shield, blocking several knives thrown their way from the kitchen doorway by a chief with a steak knife in his eye socket. Will ducked as another of the ghosts threw a champagne flute at them. 

Some of the ghosts weren’t paying any attention to them at all. There was a woman up on stage holding a microphone, seeming to be singing, as well as she could with a slit throat. Her band were all sporting grievous injuries as well. Will, Cecil and Lou circled up, each one back to back with each other s Nico ducked and wove her way to the center of the room. She spoke when she got there and this time Lou caught the meaning of her dark incantation. 

‘Restless ones! I banish you back to hiding, by my crown and power I banish you!’ The flame wreathed crown above her head flared as she drove her sword into the center of the dance floor and the spirits who had been attacking them howled and dissolved into blood, leaving the floor soaked in red. There were still ghosts around them though, but none of them made any move to harm them. The singer kept on chittering, the bar tender kept on cleaning. Nico looked slightly drawn, tired and shaking slightly. 

“That won't hold them off long. I’m a bit out of practice.” Cecil was staring at the still present crown. 

“How isn’t your hair on fire?” He asked as the ghostly flames around the metal licked through the air and across Nico’s hair and scalp. Nico’s hand shot up like she hadn’t been expecting the crown to be there. She shrugged and stepped through the blood. 

“I’m the ghost queen.” That was all she said as she led them out of the hotel. The garden would have been something to see in summer, when the trees and flowers were in full bloom. Now though it looked like a graveyard, skeletal trees already bare of leaves casting long shadows over the entrance of the waist high hedge maze. Lou frowned. 

“It’s a lot bigger than that in the movie.” Nico shrugged again, scuffing the blood off her shoes into the dirt. 

“It’s new. One of the people who was working in the café last time I was here said they were putting it in because so many people come here expecting it to be like the movie. Which I’ve never seen.” Cecil followed her example before they headed into the maze. 

“That surprises me, I would think that creepy stuff would be just up your alley.” Nico shook her head at him as she hopped a few of the hedges. 

“I don’t like horror movies, seen enough horror to last me a lifetime in my everyday life thanks.” Cecil nodded, it did make some sense. In moments they were at the center of the maze. A glowing pedestal stood there, a shining golden necklace placed upon it. It was a very pretty thing, made from golden drachma and bright blood colored rubies. Cecil pulled a hotel towel out of his bag, stowing his spear and shield. Nico stepped forwards, her eyes narrowing. 

“Show yourself thief!” A moment passed then a figure coalesced in front of Nico, his back to the pedestal. Cecil had slipped into the shadows. The ghost spoke but this time Will could understand him.

“How are you doing that! I didn’t want to show myself! That’s not fair.” Nico leveled her sword at him. 

“Whoever told you death was fair hasn’t been in the underworld long.” The ghost spotted the crown and hissed. 

“You’re a legend! The last one to hold that title is in Punishment!” Nico nodded. 

“Yes and who do you think put him there! I did! I am the Ghost Queen and you will bow to my will! Why did you truly steal the necklace!” The ghost hissed but Nico’s crown flared again and he spoke like it pained him, like every word was being drawn from him by a hot poker. 

“I took it to sew distension! I wanted Harmonia to believe Persephone took it! I wanted into Elysium but Harmonia is too good a gate keeper. I couldn’t get past her. So I wanted her gone. If she accused Persephone of being a thief Hades would expel her from his realm. But it didn’t work! Harmonia never came forwards about the theft!” Nico shook her head. 

“You aren’t very well educated in your gods. Harmonia would never come forwards with something that would disturb the peace. Now you’ve been branded a thief and will spend the rest of eternity in Punishment.” The ghost hissed at her again but she leveled her sword at his neck and hissed back at him mockingly. “Begone with you! The furies will see to your punishment!” She tapped her sword at his feet and the ground underneath the ghost opened and sucked him into the earth with an unearthly shriek. Cecil whistled from behind where the ghost had stood. 

“Remind me not to piss you off anymore.” Nico rolled her eyes at him and eyed the wrapped up towel in his hands. 

“Nicely done, I didn’t even see you take it.” Cecil grinned. 

“It’s a gift.” Lou shook her head at him and they all agreed that waiting the rest of the night would be a bad idea. So a little shakey on their feet, they headed back to main street to find Harmonia and return her necklace in return of passage south.


	15. Questing: Makeover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four arrive in New Mexico, bad news is received and Will drools.

It wasn’t hard to find Harmonia. The coffee shop she was at was the only shop on the block still lit up this late at night. It also wasn’t manned by the living. Instead the staff appeared to be entirely dead, and the fact that it was even open was shrouded in mist to the mortals, according to Lou. The bell over the door sounded like laughter as they entered and Cecil plopped the wrapped necklace down onto the table in front of Harmonia. She smiled at them and sipped her drink. 

“Thank you demigods. You have done me a great service. For that I will help you south. I wont be able to get you all the way there but I’ll get you as close as I can. Your quest is of the utmost importance in restoring peace to Olympus. She looked straight at Will. “Have faith in each other and in yourselves but beyond everything remember that Love is the greatest motivator and the deepest cut.” Her smile became melancholy but before Will could ask what she meant she waved her hand and the world went bright, then dark around them. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Cecil blinked and looked around. They were somewhere completely different than the shop where they had been speaking to Lady Harmonia moments before. They were sitting around a table outside a quaint little coffee shop. The sun beat down on them and some of the trees had yet to lose their leaves. Then Cecil looked down and let out a strangled cry. He was wearing a neatly ironed button up shirt he’d never seen before and black slacks, a dress jacket rested on the back of his chair in the same black as the pants. He looked around to see that none of them had been spared.

Lou’s hair was curled elegantly so that the black and green flowed seamlessly. She wore a peasant style top with flowing sleeves in a deep green and a flowing black skirt and matching leggings. Will’s hair had been straightened and expertly tied up in a style similar to Rosie the riveter, the bandana was blue and matched the tank top that had replaced her camp shirt. She wore a pair of white washed cut off shorts and blue high top sneakers. Nico seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick though. Instead of her regular clothes she now wore a tight green tank top that showed off her midriff with a lacey black vest that could only be for decoration. Her tattoos near her hips were on full display due to the low slung pair of deep blue skinny jeans that she now wore. Only her black boots remained the same. There was a necklace around her neck that was blue and had the word Zombie written in black spikey letters, it hung down near her collar bone drawing attention away from the necklace Leo had given her. She wore makeup, something Cecil had never seen her do before. Green eyeshadow dusted her eyes making the dark brown pop. Her lips were painted blood red and there were two small silver hoops in her bottom lip that hadn’t been there before. Looking back over at Lou Cecil noticed a small silver stud in her nose that she’d wanted for quite some time. Nico looked down and growled her cheeks turning cherry red. 

“Oh my gods why!?” Lou prodded at her nose and grinned. 

“Sweet! She gave me the piercing I’ve always wanted! How come Harmonia can do that?” Nico ran her tongue along her bottom lip and almost smiled.

“She was one of Aphrodite’s ladies for a few centuries, along with being her daughter.” Will was looking at Nico, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Lou leaned over the table and pushed Will’s mouth closed. Will cleared her throat. 

“Thanks Lou.” Cecil rolled his eyes, he really wished they would just make out already. Nico was doing her damndest to ignore her current outfit and looked around trying to figure out where they were and just how long it had taken them to arrive there. She spotted a flyer in the window. It was for a thanksgiving parade in a few weeks in Lovington New Mexico. A few other flyers for Lovington confirmed her suspicions. A nearby newspaper an old man was reading told her it was the day after they had arrived in Estes, they hadn’t lost more than a few hours. It had taken them the first three days of their journey to reach New Mexico. She glanced into the coffee cup in front of her and shrugged taking a sip. It was a very good caramel macchiato. 

“Well she got us to New Mexico, that’s a plus. We’ll need to find a map as soon as we can, to see how close we are to Carlsbad.” Will took a sip of her drink, a plain black coffee with two sugars, and nodded. 

“Yeah and if we can find a car wash I wanna get in contact with Kayla and see how Rachel is doing.” Nico nodded. They finished their drinks quickly and found that the bill had already been paid. They made their way down the street into a small corner store and Nico bought a map and some snacks for the group. They settled down on a park bench to look over the map. Cecil and Lou were looking it over, Nico glanced up from the map and spotted a flyer on a nearby post. She stood and walked over to it. It was a missing poster with pictures of the two children she’d seen in her dream. Their names were written on the poster, Fredrick Shane and Phyllis Liddell. Mist formed in front of her and she tensed until she heard a familiar voice.

“Do you accept this Iris Message?” Nico nodded and the message resolved itself into an image of Grover looking nervous. He smiled slightly as he spotted Nico. 

“Nico, good! Where are you?” Nico pushed the carefully done up hair out of her face. 

“New Mexico, Lovington. Not too far from Carlsbad. Found out the names of the kids from my dreams.” Grover cut her off. 

“Fred and Phil right?” Nico nodded slightly.

“I found out the name of the missing satyr. Thomas Greengrass. He was at a private school near Lovington. He hasn’t checked in in nearly two weeks. That must have been when they were taken.” Nico nodded. She could hear Jason’s voice from somewhere behind the rainbow.

“You need to tell her the rest of it.” Grover nodded running a hand through his hair between his horns. 

“There is more. Rachel took a turn for the worst last night. Kayla says that your time limit is down to three days, maybe less.” Nico rubbed her forehead taking a deep breath. 

“Alright. Well the good news is I can shadow travel us the rest of the way to Carlsbad. We’re close enough. We’re lucky it only took a few days to get here.” Grover nodded. 

“Jason also messaged your sister and Percy. They are only freaking out a little bit but that’s to be expected.” Nico nodded worrying one of the hoops that now ran through her lip. 

“Right. We’ll head out in a few minutes. Tell Hazel I’m fine. We’re all fine actually, well we got mugged by Piper’s stepsister but other than that.” Grover held back a laugh. 

“I was wondering about the outfit. And the piercings but yeah.” Jason gasped and the message wavered for a second before it steadied. 

“What piercings!? I can’t see from where I am and if I move the rainbow’s gonna move.” Nico laughed dryly.

“Don’t worry Jason, you’ll see when we get back to camp. I have to go, the others are waiting.” Grover nodded. 

“Good luck Nico.” Nico nodded and ran a hand through the Iris message and broke it apart. It faded as she raced back to the others. Will was wary of letting Nico shadow travel that far, it was about sixty miles to Carlsbad but she agreed that the circumstances were dire enough to risk it. Nico took hold of Will’s hand and Lou’s, Cecil once again laying a hand on her shoulder and holding tightly to Lou’s other hand as the sank into a nearby shadow. The sensation was no more pleasant the second time around but soon they were standing in the shadows near a sign that read ‘Carlsbad Caverns two miles’. Nico wobbled and fell forward her eyes slipping closed. Will caught her and carefully picked her up. She was out cold. They retreated away from the road and began to set up camp out of sight. They would rest here for the night to give Nico time to recover, then they would mount their assault on the Caverns.


	16. Questing: A Plan In Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They put their plan into action. Things, predictably, go horribly wrong.

The next day saw Lou Ellen and Nico making plans together while Will and Cecil made sure their supplies were well hidden and their weapons were ready. Nico kept fingering a bracelet that rested around her wrist that Will had never noticed before. The plan wasn’t foolproof but it might just work. Lou Ellen was going to be their main player for the first part, her control of the mist invaluable, nearly as invaluable as Will’s dream from the night before. She’d seen that many of the monsters had abandoned the camp, mostly because they themselves were not immune to Python’s poison which had begun to leak out of the cavern in which the monstrous snake rested and now coated much of the floor. The captives were quite a bit worse for the wear but were all miraculously still alive. The biggest drawback about the plan was that it forced the group to separate, temporarily but they were all still uncomfortable with it. They had decided that it would be best if Nico and Will stuck together. Lou Ellen nodded at Nico who reached out her hand to shake. Lou took it, a grim smile on her face. 

“I really hope this works.” Nico nodded. 

“On the plus side no one can really yell at us if it doesn’t.” Lou couldn’t help it she laughed at the morbid humor that seemed to be the specialty of the daughter of Hades. She hugged Will and turned to Cecil.

“It’s time.” He nodded and she took a deep breath before chanting a spell. He didn’t feel any different but he looked down and grinned. He looked quite different now. He shook Nico’s hand and hugged Will. 

“Let’s do this.” They nodded and split up.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Python raised its head as it heard a challenging call from outside the cavern. One of his few remaining soldiers, an empousa with dark hair that fell in front of her bright red eyes, looked up confused at the call.

“I, Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter ex Praetor of the twelfth legion, challenge Python’s ranks! Come out and get the first real fight you’ve had you cowards!” Python jerked his head towards the sound and his small army quickly formed ranks and marched out of the caverns towards the challenge. Waiting for them was what looked to them like a legion of Roman’s led by Jason Grace himself. What it was in actuality was a very clever ruse on the part of Nico and Lou Ellen. Their ‘Jason’ was actually Cecil in disguise. Their legionnaires were real enough but they couldn’t be killed easily, mostly because they were already dead. Lou was hidden nearby as Cecil and the disguised dead legionaries led Python’s troops away from the cavern to another less visited section of the caverns where Nico and Will where waiting. Nico pulled the roof of the cavern down on top of the army and they disintegrated with shrieks and screams in a large cloud of dust and rocks. A small victory won the small group of demigods turned their attention back towards the cave where the greater threat lurked. This part was going to be far more complicated. Lou and Cecil needed to lure Python out of his cave, while finding his one rumored weak spot. In the meantime Nico would sneak Will into the cavern that held the fountain so the daughter of Apollo could cleanse it. Also on the list of important things they had to do was freeing the captives. 

Cecil and Lou Ellen were cloaked in Mist, Nico and Will in shadows as they crept into the cavern. The giant snake raised its head and hissed long and low. 

“I can sssmell you young demigodsss.” The tongue of the beast flickered out into the air as a haunting sneer revealed long fangs in the dark maw of the snake. 

“Theresss no point hiding little onesss. Come out, face your deathsss with grace.” The voice was hypnotic and Lou had to shake Cecil a little to get him back to himself. Nico mentally swore. They were not prepared enough for this. But they didn’t have a choice. They had received another iris message the night before that Rachel had taken another turn for the worse. The healers were doing all they could, Hazel had come to camp with a few roman children of Apollo in an attempt to help but nothing was working anymore. They had hours at most. Lou Ellen dropped the Mist as planed and the snake hissed loudly as she began to throw magical pig balls from her bag, they didn’t transform the snake, he was far too powerful for that, but they annoyed him and that was really the goal here. He hissed and began to uncurl from the cavern flowing Lou Ellen and Cecil who was armed with a celestial bronze shotgun and the shield Leo had made him. He had limited rounds though, he normally fought with a spear but he couldn’t risk it here. He wouldn’t be able to retrieve it when forced to throw it this time. It was still strapped to his back though, ready to be used when he needed it. They carefully lured the snake farther and farther out of the cavern until there was just enough room to slip past his scales. Nico took Will’s hand and they raced forward cloaked in shadow. Will glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened. Python had cornered Lou and was ignoring Cecil’s attempts to get him away from her she drew her bow and fired. The shot glanced off the snake’s armor like scales but it did what she’d meant it to. It got Python’s attention. Nico swore as the snake whipped around and lunged at the shadows. She grabbed hold of Will and traveled through the shadows over to where Lou was catching her breath near the entrance of the cave. The snake thrashed snapping at the shadows near the fountains entrance. Cecil ran to them and yelled as the snake turned again rage in its red eyes. He yanked Will out of the way while Nico tackled Lou rolling and pulling her away from the snake as it roared. The roar shook the cavern and the ground beneath the snake began to smolder, poison burning through the rocks. Lou was pulled into the darker section of the cave as hellhounds began baying around them, Python between them and the others. Nico dropped her hand and pulled her sword. Lou Ellen’s hands shook. She had no idea what was going to happen all she knew was that her dream was coming true. Nico sliced a hellhound in half. Python was paying them no attention, focused instead on Will and Cecil who were trapped near the entrance to the fountains cave. Nico grabbed hold of Lou’s arm and shouted in her ear over the noise of the angry snake and dying hellhounds. 

“I have a plan. We need to get the prisoners free, now!” Lou nodded knowing there was no time for explanations. They raced over to the cages dodging flying venom and puddles of the black goo on the ground. Nico slashed the lock on the satyr’s cage first and helped him to his hooves. He bayed in fear. Nico slapped a hand over his mouth.

“I know I smell like death, occupational hazard. Thomas, I need your help. Grover sent us.” Thomas’s fear turned to hope in a second as Lou Ellen melted the lock on the demigod’s cage.

“I need you to tell the pegasi we’re trying to help them, keep them calm. Then take those two on two of them and get the Hades out of here. Go straight to camp. We’ll handle Python but I need one of the Pegasi to help me.” Thomas nodded and pointed down to his hoof. It was broken. He wasn’t going to be able to walk on his own. Nico swore and threw his arm around her shoulder. Several of the golden arrows from Will’s bow were bouncing off the serpents hide, they were holding it off for now. Nico handed the satyr off to the son of Athena who followed her without question, the daughter of Hephaestus hot on his heels. Nico and Lou freed the pegasi while Thomas kept them calm, speaking to them in goat. Lou helped him and Phyllis up onto one of them while Nico helped Fredrick onto another. The satyr smiled at them. 

“He says he’ll help you. Thank you.” Nico nodded as Thomas pointed at the pure white Pegasus. The winged horse inclined his head to Nico who nodded, fear racing through her skin. She hated flying and heights in general but she had no other plans. She mounted the steed as the others took off racing for the exit. 

“Lou try to distract him.” Lou nodded, looking scared but determined. She drew another pig ball from her bag and threw it as Nico sheathed her sword and tapped the moon charm on her bracelet. The bow grew into her hands in seconds’ arrow already knocked as the Pegasus took off into the air. She drew back and fired. The serpent hissed loudly as the arrow struck him denting one of his scales. Will’s heart nearly stopped as she looked up at Nico. She held the same bow she’d held in Will’s nightmare. The image she couldn’t stop seeing whenever she closed her eyes. Nico falling in front of her skin smoking with the black poison that now surrounded them. She couldn’t let that happen. She drew back and fired again. Python roared again snapping at Nico and the Pegasus who just dodged in time. Will needed to end this now. 

“Where is it Cecil!? We need to end this!” Cecil had the best eyes out of all of them and had been searching for the rumored weak spot since they’d arrived. Cecil gasped for breath his shotgun cast aside, out of shells. 

“The forehead. Right between the eyes but it’s only like two inches wide, a crack between the scales. How are we supposed to hit that?” Will swore under her breath as they dodged the thrashing snake again. She really wished they had chosen another archer from the Apollo cabin. Austin could have made that shot in his sleep. Her momentary distraction gave Python the opening he’d been looking for. Nico screamed and slipped into the shadows cast by the Pegasus’ wings emerging from Will’s own shadow and diving in front of her as Python spit poison at the daughter of Apollo. Will’s scream of fear was drowned out by Nico’s scream of pain as the poison struck her in the eyes and across her chest. She crumpled the bow and arrow falling from her fingers.


	17. Questing: Struck Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A power threatens to consume them all, a decision is made.

Even as Nico’s scream died down Will’s cry of rage and pain echoed around the cavern and Python screeched as light began pouring from the daughter of Apollo. Lou felt her knees shake as Will glowed brighter than any child of Apollo she’d ever met. Tendrils of light were wrapping around Nico’s still smoking unmoving form. Python thrashed and retreated away from the oracles cave crushing the cages and chains that had so recently held prisoners but Will didn’t seem to notice or care. She was still screaming, tears made of sunshine streaming down her face, eyes glowing and unseeing as the light grew brighter. The bright white Pegasus whinnied and fled the cavern.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Nico felt weightless, as many times as she’d interacted with ghosts she’d never been one before. Hazel had been right it did come with a weightless feeling but also with a sadness. Standing in front of her was a familiar figure, but it wasn’t the one she’d been expecting. Long dark hair fell elegantly over her shoulders and spilled down her back, her dress was an old-style gown but not Greek. Sparkling eyes met Nico’s and she barely felt the tears stream down her face as she ran into the specter’s arms. 

“Mother!” Warm arms circled around Nico and a hand ran through her hair. 

“Mi tesero, Nico. How brave you’ve been.” Nico cried into her mother’s shoulder but all too soon her mother was pulling back. She was still smiling a hand still resting in Nico’s hair.

“Oh, how I want to keep you here with me but you must choose. You can stay here, die in that cave and stay here with me, serving your father in the underworld, or you can go back.” That caught Nico off guard. 

“But aren’t I dead? I got a face full of Python’s venom. That should have killed me.” Maria Di Angelo ran her hand through her daughter’s hair again. 

“You would be if it weren’t for that sweet child of Apollo.” Nico felt a warmth touch her back and turned her head, there was a wall of light behind her, something that shouldn’t exist in the underworld where she knew she must be.

“Will!” Maria smiled at her daughter. Nico turned back to her mother.

“I can’t leave Will behind.” Maria nodded. 

“I’m proud of you mi tesero. Go be with the one you love. I’ll be here when your time comes.” Nico hugged her mother one last time before she turned and ran back into the light.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Everything hurt and when Nico opened her eyes she would have sworn if her vocal chords would cooperate. She could barely make out shapes. Her eyes had clearly been severely damaged which made sense. She couldn’t do this alone. She struggled to her feet with difficulty snatching what she assumed to be her bow and arrow off the ground as she went. She could hear Will screaming in her ears but she couldn’t see to find the daughter of Apollo. She needed help. She felt the tug and let the ghosts spill through the crack her death had created. Only two came through before she slammed it closed. She didn’t recognize them but they were demigods, non-hostile to her at least. The first one spoke in her ear. 

“Draw your bow, we’ll guide the arrow.” Nico nodded, these ghosts wouldn’t betray her, she could sense the same light in them that she felt in Will though they only had a trace of it remaining. She pulled back the string on the bow. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Cecil and Lou had been forced to take cover near the exit of the cavern. Python was in a panic, thrashing and spraying venom, Leo’s shield wasn’t holding up very well under the onslaught of the corrosive poisonous substance. Will was still screaming and Nico was more than likely dead. Tears were streaming down both their faces now as Cecil held what was left of his shield above them desperately trying to protect them from the poisonous rain that fell from Pythons mouth. Lou peeked out from behind the rock they were crouched behind and her eyes went wide, Nico was back on her feet. Her armor smoked and the skin around her eyes looked very much like melting candle wax but she was on her feet, supported by two spectral figured Lou didn’t recognize. She had her silver bow in hand but the arrow she had drawn back was burning gold. One of the spectral figured adjusted her aim and whispered in her ear. She held for a moment before Python thrashed once more against the light that seemed to be encasing him holding him in place. Nico loosed the arrow and it flew true striking Python in the tiny crack between his scales and sinking in deep. The serpent bellowed in pain before falling to the ground and beginning to dissolve. Nico didn’t seem to notice, she had dropped her bow altogether and turned towards the ball of light that was where Will was still screaming. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Will couldn’t stop screaming, she wasn’t sure she ever would. Nico was gone, because of her stupidity. Light was burning through her and all around her. Python had stopped screeching. But she couldn’t bring herself to care. There was too much light it hurt, burning away at her mind. She tried to remember what Hestia had told her, it had seemed so important at the time but the only thing that came to her mind was the image of Nico crumpling in front of her over and over again. She’d never even told the daughter of Hades that she’d loved her. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Nico still couldn’t see a damn thing. But she could feel. She knew there were three living beings in the cavern besides herself. Lou, Cecil and Will. Cecil and Lou were on the other side of the cavern. But Will’s life force was flickering. Nico turned towards Will, she sent the ghosts to get Lou and Cecil out of the cave, there was danger there but she didn’t care. She just needed Will to be alright. She stumbled and felt a familiar feeling catch her, the shadows were congregating around her but they didn’t seem able to hurt her this time. Nico would question it later. Now she just walked towards Will. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Lou Ellen wasn’t sure how much more she could take the light was just getting brighter, she had to shade her eyes to try and see Nico at this point, Will had vanished into the light earlier and had yet to reemerge. Nico was shrouded in shadows, they seemed to be steadying her as the heavily injured daughter of Hades stumbled into the ball of light. Cecil shrieked as the ghosts that had been assisting Nico appeared in front of them. Cecil’s eyes widened. 

“Lee, Michael?” The closest specter nodded and spoke. His voice was far away and echoy. 

“You must leave here now. It’s dangerous. Nico ordered us to escort you to safety.” Lou pulled herself to her feet. 

“How is it dangerous? Python’s gone. What’s happening to Will?” The one Cecil identified as Lee Fletcher looked grim.

“Our sister has a power no demigod has had before and she has lost control of it. We need to leave. She won’t mean to but you could be hurt and Will would never forgive herself for hurting you.” Cecil frowned as the two ghosts ushered them away from the ever growing light. 

“What about Nico! Is she going to be ok?” Michael frowned. 

“I don’t know, but if anyone can get through to Will it’ll be Nico.” The small odd group fled the cavern as it shook violently with the force of the power contained within.


	18. Questing: The Power Of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is a powerful healing force, also tears.

Will was sobbing into her hands, curled in on herself in the center of a mass of power. She couldn’t hear anything but her own sobs and could see nothing but the image of Nico falling to the ground dead in front of her. Light invaded her mind but did nothing to relieve these images. She seemed to sit there alone for an eternity before something changed. Darkness crept into the corner of her mind, of her vision she realized. It spread until it took up most of her field of vision, shadow rimmed by blinding light. Then a hand reached out of the blackness and caressed her cheek, a familiar silver skull ring resting on the middle finger. Will leapt forward into Nico’s arms. She was sure she was dead but she didn’t care. She had Nico back. Bright tears of light flowed down her face once more dripping onto Nico’s face. Her beautiful deep brown eyes were a glassy white and the skin around them looked like someone had taken a blowtorch to it but she was here and she was real. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Nico felt warm familiar arms wrap around her and smiled. She’d found Will, even though she couldn’t see the taller girl she felt safe and warm in her arms. Something warm and wet dripped into her eyes and she blinked, more of the warm substance dripped into her eyes and Nico blinked again. Slowly the world of blurs and darkness resolved into the tear and light stained face of Wilhelmina Solace. Nico couldn’t resist, she curled her hands into Will’s messy hair and pulled her down into a kiss. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Will felt slightly cold lips against her own and looked down into the closed and healing eyes of Nico Di Angelo and wound her arms around her girlfriend’s waist pulling her close. It was then she felt the heartbeat and realized that Nico couldn’t be dead. She laughed into the kiss and the light behind her grew less harsh. Anyone watching from outside the center of the mini sun that now rested in the cavern would have seen the poison on the ground evaporate as tendrils of shadow and light mingled and extended into the cave that held the well of the oracle. The Well was an intricately designed golden piece of artwork but was clogged with the black poison, that was slowly corroding it. The moment the light touched the well it began to glow as it should and the poison burned away and green mist began pouring from the well. It was heavy like water and spilled across the ground and out into the main cavern where the small sun still rested, shadows keeping it in check, stopping the light from leaving the large cavern and leaking out into the caves that mortals could access. Slowly the light began to dissipate and with it the shadows. They disappeared revealing the two demigods who stood there just holding on to each other. 

Will ran her hands through Nico’s hair looking down at her face. Her skin had healed beautifully and her eyes were back to that deep rich brown. Will was crying real tears at this point and so was Nico. Green mist swirled around them and Nico laughed. 

“And they said it couldn’t be done.” Will didn’t care about the mist she leaned down and kissed Nico again. 

“I love you.” Nico froze, her eyes fixed on Will’s. Will just kept talking. “I know now’s probably one of the worst times to say it, but I love you. I almost lost you and I would never have gotten the chance to say it. I know we’ve only been together four months and I don’t want to push you out of your comfort zone but when I thought I lost you I snapped and I was never going to get to see you again or hear you laugh or…” Nico cut Will off by jamming her lips against the daughter of Apollos mouth. A minute later she pulled back blushing to the roots of her black as pitch hair.

“I love you too Sunshine. Now let’s get out of this gods forsaken cave and call camp, we need to check up on Rachel.” Will nodded and took Nico’s hand. They stepped forward and Nico stumbled. She looked down and frowned. She’d tripped over what remained of Will’s bow. It had been snapped in half cleanly. Nico stooped and picked it up holding it out to Will. Will frowned and took it. Nico scooped up her own bow and tapped the charm on it, it shrank back into the silver bracelet Nico had been playing with earlier. Will raised an eyebrow. 

“Was that your sisters?” Will knew that Bianca had been a huntress of Artemis briefly. Nico nodded slipping her hand back into Wills. They stepped off again when Nico noticed something glinting out of the corner of her eye. Nico paused and let go of Will’s hand for a moment picking up a long snakeskin. It had shrunk considerably from what it had been but there was still quite a lot of it left. Nico carefully rolled it up and stuck it into a nearby shadow before walking back over to Will and taking her hand again. Leaning against each other they made their way out of the cavern.


	19. Questing: Misinformed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A message is sent to camp, a bit prematurely. The questers find a way to get back.

Cecil and Lou were distraught. The ghosts Nico had summoned had vanished. This coupled with the lack of reappearance of either of their friends led them to believe the worst. Lou and Cecil stumbled away from the cavern. The bright white Pegasus was sitting outside with a few of its fellows gathered around it, though not the ones that had been held captive with it. Lou was still crying and Cecil felt in shock but they needed to let camp know what had happened. Cecil led Lou back to the spot where they had stashed their bags, they tried not to cry seeing Will and Nico’s bags. Cecil fished a spray bottle out of his bag along with his last drachma. He handed the spray bottle to Lou. She nodded mechanically and began to spritz it into the afternoon air. Soon they had enough of a rainbow and Cecil threw the coin into it. 

“Chiron, camp half blood.” His voice was raw but the call went through. They were staring at the activities director who was sitting on the porch of the big house in his wheelchair with several other demigods seemingly trying to calm them down. Cecil cleared his throat and the entire group fell silent staring at him. He whipped his eyes furiously and cleared his throat again. 

“Cecil, we were growing concerned, the mortals are reporting severe earthquakes in the area and have officially closed the caverns for an indeterminate amount of time. Is everything alright?” Jason pushed to the front of the group a girl Cecil recognized as Nico’s Roman sister next to him. She was beaming. Her smile fell however when she saw it was just Cecil delivering the message. 

“Where’s Nico?” Tears began to fall again as Cecil struggled to speak. 

“Nico used Will’s arrow to kill Python. But she got a face full of poison, there was nothing we could do.” Tears fell from Hazels eyes as she fell to her knees on the porch of the big house. Cecil could see the ground behind her roiling, diamonds, rubies, and what appeared to be black rock were emerging from the ground at an alarming rate. Cecil cleared his throat again and explained everything that had happened as quickly as he could, they were running out of water in the spray bottle. Jason was holding Hazel who was sobbing with reckless abandon, every demigod present, which seemed to be most of the Apollo cabin plus several of the seven was crying. Grover trotted up to them supporting the satyr Nico helped rescue not an hour before, the two demigods sticking close to his side. One of Will’s siblings, Hannah explained what had happened to Grover in hushed tones. There was a banging from the other side of the porch and Kayla ran into sight and excited Austin behind her. 

“It’s Rachel! She’s awake and stable! They did it!” Then the two children of Apollo looked around and frowned. Chiron cleared his throat tears in his eyes. 

“Very well. Get back to camp as soon as possible. We’ll hold the funerals tomorrow night.” Hazels sobs grew louder and Cecil jerked around hearing a twig snap. Lou dropped the spray bottle cutting off the connection and reaching for her bag. Then they heard a voice that made them both freeze. 

“Oh, will you stop please, my hair is messy enough without horse spit in it. And you know I can’t understand you, I’m not Percy.” There was a nicker that could only be a laugh accompanied by a laugh Cecil never thought he’d hear again. His spear fell from his hands as Nico and Will came stumbling through the clearing followed closely by the white Pegasus which was licking the back of Nico’s head. Cecil and Lou rushed forwards hugging the two demigods and crying into their shoulders. Then Cecil shot up from where he was hugging Will. 

“Shit!” He snatched up the spray bottle only to find that the bottle had shattered on a rock Lou had accidently dropped it on. Cecil swore in ancient Greek and Lou started cackling loudly almost hysterically. Nico raised an eyebrow. The blessing of Aphrodite had yet to wear off and despite everything she’d been through in the past hour her makeup remained immaculate and the lip rings still glinted in her bottom lip. 

“Lou, are you ok?” Lou Ellen nodded but kept laughing as Cecil continued to curse in Greek. Will raised an eyebrow at Nico as Cecil began kicking the plastic shards from the bottle, still letting off a stream of curses. 

“What about Cecil?” Nico shrugged sitting down on a nearby rock seeming resigned to the attention she was getting from the pure white Pegasus which was now nuzzling the back of her head. 

“Hey Cecil is your problem.” Will laughed incredulously. 

“He’s your friend too Nico.” Nico shrugged.

“Meh. I always liked Lou better.” Cecil paused between his swearing to take a breath.

“Well then you’re probably gonna kill me. Lou, you get to tell them. I need to go scream at something.” Cecil stalked off heading away from the caverns. It took Lou a few minutes to calm down and explain what had happened. Nico sat on the rock looking dumbfounded for a moment before she burst out laughing. Will couldn’t help but join in. The whole situation was just too much. They had saved Rachel and completed a quest long thought impossible for a demigod to complete. Will still had light and tear tracks on her face, Nico’s new armor and her shirt were both riddled with holes, both completely ruined. Lou had lost a shoe at some point and wasn’t willing to go find it and Cecil was currently screaming at a tree while a dryad threw acorns at him. When Nico finally caught her breath, she sighed. 

“So, we need to find the fastest way to camp. Since we have no way of contacting anyone.” Cecil stormed back up to the group, mud and leaves in his hair, the dryad had apparently gotten bored with just throwing acorns.

“Isn’t your dad also the god of wealth? How come you don’t have more drachma?” Nico chuckled.

“Pluto is the god of death and wealth. I’m the daughter of Hades, you want wealth talk to Hazel. Iris doesn’t accept credit cards. Anyway Hazel will probably kill you for me honestly so I’m not gonna bother. Also, even if I could access that aspect of my father where the hell are we supposed to find a rainbow out here.” Nico’s condescending eyebrow lost a bit of its steam when the Pegasus licked her hair again. Several of the other Pegasi had followed them into the clearing as well. Will looked around. 

“Why don’t we just fly back to camp?” Nico paled considerably. 

“I don’t do heights.” Will frowned.

“You flew on this guy easy enough in the cave.” Nico nodded, petting the Pegasus if only to keep it from licking her.

“Yes, in a cave, underground is technically my father’s domain. I wasn’t invading anyone’s territory flying underground.” Cecil was doing his best to wipe the mud out of his hair.

“Percy said something similar. But Chiron said Pegasi are neutral territory, cause they are all technically children of Poseidon. Besides it seems like he’s willing to risk it.” Nico debated it for a few minutes internally before she turned to face the Pegasus. 

“Are you willing to risk carrying a child of Hades through the sky, possibly risking both of us being struck from it?” The Pegasus seemed to consider her for a moment before it nodded and turned so she could mount up. Nico raised an eyebrow. 

“That is one brave horse. Alright fine we’ll risk it. But everyone rides their own if possible, I don’t want anyone going down with me if this goes south.” Will caught her around the waist as she stepped forward towards the waiting Pegasus. 

“You’ve only flown once before. And if you think I’m letting go of you anytime soon after what happened back there, you’re actually insane.” Nico looked up at Will from where she stood caught in her arms and a small genuine smile pulled at her lips and a blush dusted her cheeks. 

“Your funeral.” Cecil and Lou cheered as Will leaned down and kissed Nico full on the mouth. They mounted up, Nico in front of Will on the pure white Pegasus Lou and Cecil managed to coax a very pretty brown and white paint to carry them. They were about halfway to camp when Will felt Nico slip slightly forward in her arms. The daughter of Hades had passed out. Will motioned for them to land and Cecil helped lift Nico off of the Pegasus which promptly found a patch of green grass to graze on. They set up camp and Lou took first watch. Will fell asleep with Nico in her arms and for the first time since the beginning of their quest she didn’t dream.


	20. Questing: Crashing The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another child of the big three crashes their own funeral, the quest draws to a close.

When Percy arrived back at Camp Half Blood it was to a much more somber air than she normally found there. Though most everyone still wore their orange camp half-blood shirts the air in camp was dark and clouds hung over the Zeus cabin and followed Jason around. A path of precious gems and what looked like unrefined stygian iron followed Hazel around. The Romans present were dressed for the occasion. Reyna had made the journey with several senators to bid farewell to the Ambassador of Pluto in true Roman fashion, Frank had volunteered to take over temporarily so Reyna and Hazel could bid their friend and sister goodbye without interruption. Percy’s mother had been granted access to Camp just this once as Nico had no living mortal relatives to bid her farewell. Sally had talked about Nico on the way to camp and Percy had learned that her friend had done more for her than she’d thought since she’d first disappeared. 

“She came to check in with me occasionally, to make sure I was alright and update me on how the search was going. She came to me when she found you with the Romans. Just showed up in the corner of the kitchen, scared Paul half to death. She told us you were safe. She couldn’t say where you were though. Just that you were safe and we wouldn’t be hearing from her again.” Percy had raised an eyebrow at that. 

“What did she mean by that?” Sally smiled sadly.

“I asked her the same thing. She said she thought she was being a bother, but that I should be kept in the loop. All that time she was the only one making sure I was alright when you disappeared, Arthur tried to begin with but he got so frantic after that first month. I always made sure I had something in the fridge for when Nico popped by, she looked like she hadn’t had a decent meal in months when she first showed up.” Percy nodded. Nico had a horrible habit of getting so wrapped up in everything that was happening that she forgot to eat. She used to have, Will had been doing wonders for Nico’s health. It broke Percy’s heart that they had died together, but at least they were together. Will’s mother had been called and informed about what had happened but she was in Texas, something about a concert. She wouldn’t be able to make it to the funeral. 

Nico’s shroud was something to see. Jason had volunteered to make it before Hazel had arrived from Camp Jupiter. In the center of the gold cloth was a detailed embroidery of the Helm of Darkness, Hades symbol of power. But along the edge was where everyone else had put in their work. At each corner a lightning bolt glinted in bright sky blue, in the center of the edges of shroud there was a sea green trident. A flaming hammer and a dove rested around the lightning bolt while crossed spears and a two pronged trident holding a shadowy orb rested on either side of the trident. A grey owl finished the design around the edges, spreading its wings to connect the symbols. It was truly a masterpiece. But just looking at it made Percy feel sick. Nico had been the youngest of them, the Greek children of the big three. Not even sixteen yet. Will’s shroud was also gold, the Apollo cabin had claimed both of them as heroes. The healer’s shroud had a large sun that actually glowed in the center. Lou Ellen and Cecil both had shrouds of their own but they would be burned when the two living quest members returned to camp. The whole camp was gathered around the fire as the sun began to set. The fire was burning low and black. It was fitting Percy thought as Hazel stepped forward, Nico’s shroud in her hands and tears in her eyes. 

“My sister was the bravest demigod I’ve ever met. She became the queen of ghosts when she was only twelve years old, resting the title from Minos who had held it since shortly after his death. She found the Romans on her own and established a place for herself in our ranks. She walked through the fields of asphodel to attempt to keep the dead where they belonged when Thanatos disappeared. She found me alone and scared without hope and brought me to Camp Jupiter. She set off alone to find the doors of death in an attempt to help the seven of the prophecy close them. Because of this she was dragged into Tartarus by Gaia herself, she walked through Tartarus alone and led the seven to the Doors of Death despite everything that stood in our way. She shadow traveled across the world to prevent a war.” Tears were streaming down Hazels face as she tried to get her voice to work again. She sniffled and turned her face towards the sky. Then she froze as she spotted two pegasi flying all out towards camp. Percy looked up and swore loudly. Chiron glared at her but she wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. She was watching the two Pegasi land near the canoe lake. One was pure white and the other was brown and white, each had two riders. Hazel swore loudly and colorfully, dropping the forgotten shroud she ran down towards the canoe lake, trailed by a stream of precious gems. She arrived at the lake in time to see Wilhelmina Solace hop off the back of the pure white Pegasus and turn back to the figure still sitting astride it. 

“You doing ok up there darlin’?” Nico Di Angelo glared at her girlfriend, her hair was a mess and there were smudges of makeup around her eyes.

“Just get me down before I ruin the upholstery.” The Pegasus made an indigent noise and bucked slightly sending Nico flying into Will’s arms. Will laughed as they both tumbled to the ground. The whole camp had followed Hazel to the lake. As Nico and Will pulled themselves up off the ground Hazel ran forwards and decked Nico in the face. Nico stumbled back into the side of the Pegasus which whinnied a laugh and bumped her forwards into Hazel’s arms. Hazel sobbed into Nico’s shoulder as Nico wrapped her arms around her sister. 

“I’m sorry Hazel, we didn’t have a way to contact you. We got here as fast as we could.” Cecil stretched and threw an arm around Lou Ellen. 

“We would have been here sooner but the princess of darkness over there passed out on our way back, nearly faded again. But don’t worry Will says she’s fine.” Will laid a hand on Nico’s shoulder.

“Yeah I do.” Nico rolled her eyes at Will. The whole camp was watching this scene and all jumped when Chiron cleared his throat.

“Well it seems crashing your own funeral may become a regular occurrence for the children of the elder gods.” Percy laughed remembering when she’d done the same thing. Leo, who’d heard the story from Nyssa, laughed loudly.

“Yeah, now Jason just has to do it.” The gloom on the camp lifted as they all laughed and surged forwards lifting the four demigods onto their shoulders cheering as they all raced back to the pavilion. The party that ensued lasted late into the night. It took forever for the crowd of excited demigods to actually put any of them down after they had explained the little misunderstanding. When they did Nico found herself enveloped in a hug that smelled like chocolate and licorice. She looked up into the smiling face of Sally Jackson. 

“Miss Jackson?” Sally hugged her closer. 

“I’m so glad you’re alright Nico. Thank you, you promised to bring Percy home safe and you did.” Nico blushed to the roots of her pitch-black hair.

“It wasn’t just me Miss Jackson.” Percy popped up at her mother’s elbow smiling at Nico.

“Don’t be so modest, we would not have survived a lot of things without you Nico.” Nico smiled slightly as Sally hugged her closer.

“We need to get back home but our door is always open for you Nico.” Percy nodded and pulled Nico into a hug.

“Yeah, so long as you aren’t trying to pull me out on a quest. I think I’m done for a bit. I’m gonna settle down, maybe join the swim team.” Nico laughed. 

“Wouldn’t that be cheating Percy?” Percy shrugged and laughed.

“But before we go, you need to actually burn this shroud.” Percy held up the beautiful piece of cloth and handed it to Nico. Nico studied it for a moment before tears built up in her eyes. Leo tackled her from behind. 

“No crying Batgirl, we’ve had enough of that already! You have cheated death again! This calls for a celebration!” Nico teared up again as every cabin cheered as she threw the shroud into the fire. Reyna looped an arm around her. 

“Don’t ever do that to me again Nico. You scared me half to death.” Nico grinned up at the praetor. Reyna shook her head.

“The lip rings are new.” Nico grinned.

“We got mugged by Piper’s sister Harmonia. Apparently, she likes the ironic. According to Lou this type of piercing is called a snake bite.” Reyna laughed. Nico stood to the side as the Apollo cabin carried Will to the fire and let her toss in her shroud. The Hermes and Hecate cabins followed their lead and went straight back to partying. Chiron stepped over to Nico and smiled. 

“It’s interesting you know, you were claimed by more cabins as a hero than any other demigod in camp half-blood history. Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, Athena, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Ares, well Mars. And it was a touch redundant to have Pluto on there. I know you’ve had your doubts about both camps but I’m hoping this will help you realize that you are a hero, no matter what anyone says.” Nico felt like her face was going to split from smiling. Chiron walked away and there was a tug at Nico’s sleeve. She turned and looked into the smiling face of Thomas Greengrass, the satyr they’d rescued. 

“Hello. How’s your hoof?” He grinned.

“Completely healed thanks to Grover and a few Apollo kids.” Nico smiled slightly as the satyr continued. “I wanted to show you something.” Nico nodded and followed Thomas away from the crowd and over to the big house where the two demigods they had rescued were sitting on the step. They looked up as they approached. They were in camp t shirts and jean shorts that looked like they had been salvaged from their respective cabins. Nico tried to smile reassuringly but she wasn’t sure she managed it. They smiled at her anyway. Fred stood and held out a hand.

“I’m Fred, I don’t think we had time to introduce ourselves earlier.” Nico took his hand and shook it. 

“I’m Nico. Daughter of Hades.” Fred faltered a touch but nodded. 

“It’s all a bit weird honestly, finding out that my mom was, is, a goddess. My dad always told me she died. And Phil is having a bit of a time of it. She’s a year younger than I am. I’m thirteen, they say she hasn’t been claimed yet whatever that means. Plus, she lost her hearing aids on the flight here.” Nico nodded and knelt down in front of the girl. She caught her attention with a slight smile and began signing slowly. It had been a long time since she’d done it but while she and Bianca had been in the Lotus Hotel and Casino Nico had made friends with a boy who was deaf and had been learning sign language from his mother. She had no idea if that boy was still in the hotel but she hadn’t found him searching around the underworld. His name had been Dean and he’d taught her the basics. Phil lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw Nico signing. They struck up an easy conversation and Nico managed to coax her off the steps of the big house and back over to the party. Will met them halfway.

“Nico! I was worried you’d slipped off somewhere for the night. Wait these are the demigods you and Lou rescued right!” Nico nodded and turned to Phil. She explained who Will was to Nico. Phil blushed and turned to Will waving. Will raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t know you spoke sign language Nico.” Nico shrugged. 

“I’m not very good. It’s old sign language and I only know the letters. But it’ll do for now.” They were both distracted as a red glow caught their eyes. A flaming hammer had appeared above Phil’s head. She began panicking and swatting at it until Nico caught her attention and signed a few words at her as the rest of camp gathered around them. Chiron stamped his hooves for quiet.

“Hail, Phyllis daughter of Hephaestus.” Nico translated and Phil signed back slowly as Nico spoke.

“She says she prefers Phil if that’s alright. She wants to know what the hammer means, hang on.” Nico signed back at Phil the two in their own silent conversation. Chiron cleared his throat after a few minutes.

“It seems you would be best suited to giving her the tour Miss Di Angelo. I think it’s time we all head to bed. It’s been a long day. She’ll be in cabin nine. Maybe teach Leo and Nyssa some basic signs to help them communicate?” Leo nodded muttering something about making badass hearing aids. Will nodded.

“We could help with that Leo. She’ll need a hearing test.” Nico listened to them chatting as she signed at Phil and began to show her around.


	21. Memories: Painting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico disapears on her own quest, Jason gets a glimpse into the future from the resident Oracle.

Will paced around the big house. It had been a month since they had defeated Python. A month of relative peace then Nico hadn’t shown up for breakfast that morning. She had skipped her sword fighting class, forcing a begrudging Clarisse to take it over. Jason was sitting at the ping pong table rolling a small white ball between his hands. They had yet to tell Percy what was going on. The daughter of Poseidon had made it clear that she didn’t want to deal with quests for a while unless it was life and death. Arthur was still in Boston dealing with family stuff. There was no need to scare Hazel just yet, not until they knew what was going on. Will paced the same track again and Jason sighed. 

“Will you’re making me dizzy.” He pushed his glasses up his nose and frowned at her. The daughter of Apollo was worrying at a loose thread on her camp half-blood shirt.

“Well what would you do Jason? If Piper disappeared out of the blue?” Jason nodded and set the small ping pong ball down by the net that for some reason still sat in its place on the table. 

“I would worry but trust that she can take care of herself. It’s not like wherever she is she’s unarmed. Her sword wasn’t in her cabin and she’s always got her bow on her. She’s gonna be ok Will.” Will frowned at the carpet. Then the slight creaking of wheels caught her attention. Chiron, in his magical wheelchair, sighed as he was followed into the room by Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Lou Ellen who had gone to find Chiron when Will started panicking about not being able to find Nico.

“We were hoping she had told you where she was going Will, as it would have avoided a long, complicated conversation. Rachel if you will.” Rachel was looking a million times better than she had before Nico had slayed Python and Will had cleansed the Oracles well. She was carrying a sketchbook and plopped herself down at the ping pong table, gesturing the demigods closer.

“So, Nico’s been visiting me a lot over the past month to make sure I’m ok after everything that happened. She is such a sweetheart. But anyway. Over the past week, I’ve started drawing again. And we all know how well that goes.” Will nodded. Ever since the battle of Manhattan most of Rachel’s drawings were of things that had yet to happen. Rachel flipped to a page in her notebook. It was a charcoal drawing of Nico, her sword drawn in what appeared to be a large cavern who’s celling stretched out of the picture entirely. A river ran next to Nico. But it wasn’t black like the rest of the drawing. It was white, carefully drawn and lead past several pools set deeper into the cavern. The detail was exquisite but Will didn’t recognize the place Nico was. She stated as much and Jason shook his head. Rachel nodded.

“See I didn’t recognize it either, not that that’s all that weird for me but Nico did recognize it. It’s the Underworld.” She pointed to the pool closest to Nico.

“That’s the start of the Lethe, at least that’s what Nico says it is. But aside from when she and Bianca were washed in the Lethe she’s never been to that part of the underworld. But that’s not the only thing I drew.” Rachel flipped to the next page. The image there was similar to the last one but the Lethe had disappeared. Instead Nico stood next to the other pool this one was painted carefully to look like it had a slight golden glow, the water still white but churning slightly. A figure stood on the other bank, tall and clad in a Greek Chiton that matched the white swirling gold water. Her hair fell in bronze waves around her face a gold laurel wreath nested in the curls. She was holding a small golden urn that was pouring water into the pool. Will frowned she didn’t look like any goddess Will had heard of before. Jason recognized her though.

“Moneta? The goddess of memory?” Rachel shook her head.

“Close. This is the Greek Goddess of memory, Mnemosyne. Moneta is one of the two Roman goddesses Mnemosyne was split into during the transition from Greek to Roman.” Jason nodded slightly. 

“Ok but why is Nico there?” Rachel flipped the page again. Drawn in green calligraphy was what appeared at first glance as poetry. ‘Death’s daughter, memories lost to the whim of her father, alone she walks through ways of stone. To the pool of memories to face a goddess old, but her price is steep for what she sold. A choice made by a lightning strike could mar or mend the death child’s life.’ 

“So, I wrote that while Nico and I were talking. But the spirit of the oracle didn’t take over so we went to Chiron. He said that this prophecy had been issued many years ago, but no one could make sense of it since there hasn’t been a child of Hades at camp before Nico. The fact that it had reappeared meant that it was time for it to be fulfilled, according to Chiron anyway. So, Nico packed up yesterday after dinner. She said she was going to leave this morning but she must have left last night for some reason.” Will frowned.

“Why didn’t she just tell me?” Jason rolled his eyes.

“Probably because she didn’t want you to worry. The last solo quest didn’t exactly go well. I mean it worked out in the end but…” Jason trailed off rereading the last line of the prophecy. 

“Besides from the last line I’d say the prophecy won’t be done until she gets back. ‘A choice made by a lightning strike’ that sounds like a child of Zeus. So, either she’s gonna run into Thalia or she’s gonna come back here. And I hate to hedge my bets here but if it’s a memory theme all the way through I’d say she has to come here. Either way she won’t be alone in this.” Will nodded. It was rather common knowledge that Jason, unlike Percy, had yet to regain all the memories Juno had taken from him. Why that was remained a mystery. Will was still a bit nervous but as Chiron gently reminded her she had a shift in the infirmary that afternoon. Jason squeezed Will’s shoulder reassuringly and the daughter of Apollo set off for the infirmary. She didn’t catch Rachel grabbing Jason’s arm to hold him back. 

“There’s something else you should see. Come with me.” Jason raised an eyebrow but followed Rachel back to her cave. It wasn’t uncomfortable. The Hephaestus Cabin had rigged up a generator and it was very spacious, more like a studio apartment without windows than a cave. In the center of Rachel’s work area, which was splattered with paint was a covered easel. Rachel walked up to it and pulled the sheet off with a flourish. Jason stared. 

“I was up all night working on it. I couldn’t put my brush down even if I wanted to.” The painting was so detailed Jason thought for a moment that he was looking a photograph. It was him and Nico from the neck up laying opposite one another as if they had fallen. Nico’s flyaway black hair had fallen into both of their faces but neither of them seemed to have noticed. They were both asleep, or dead. Jason couldn’t tell without the rise and fall of a chest. There was a white gold glow around the both of them as there had been on the pool in Rachel’s other drawing. Jason recognized the blackened wood he’d helped lay as the floor of the Hades cabin. A hand he recognized as his own lay next to his head barely visible under Nico’s mass of hair. A small golden vial lay in his hand. Rachel’s hands shook as she folded the sheet. 

“I thought you should know. I don’t know what it means. It could mean any number of things. But I felt like you should see this, before I leave this afternoon.” That startled Jason out of his thoughts. 

“Leave?” Rachel nodded. 

“I’m heading back to New Rome this afternoon, now that I’m feeling better after the whole Python thing. The Apollo cabin has finally cleared me for travel. They’re sending a delegation to pick me up, drop off a few people who want to take a look at the Greek side of things. Lou Ellen and a few other members of the Hecate cabin managed to manipulate the Mist so my dad thinks I’m going to a different even more prestigious finishing school. But I’m going to try and help Ella with the Sibylline scrolls. Whatever’s left of them anyway.” Jason nodded his eyes drifting back to the painting. He seriously couldn’t tell if they were even alive in it but if he had to guess he’d fallen first, the unfamiliar vial in his hand. Then something had made Nico fall. There was a scratch across Nico’s cheek that looked a few days old even in the painting. Jason’s glasses were falling off, tilted at an odd angle on his face. Jason sighed, the thought of what was to come weighing on his mind he hated not knowing. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Three days later Nico stood at the bottom of Half Blood Hill. She was a touch worse for the journey physically. But mentally she was tormented, she had no idea what she should do. Had there only been two options she’d have taken the second one and been unable to look back, but she’d have saved everyone. But there was another option. Her hand tightened around the small gold vial in her pocket. She sighed and walked up the hill.


	22. Memories: Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lightning makes a choice, a goddess visits Camp.

Jason raced to the Hades cabin, Piper and Leo hot on his heels. They had all been in the Hephaestus cabin playing cards when Fred from Athena had come to find them. Nico had asked him to tell them that she was back and to meet her in the Hades cabin as soon as possible. Jason heaved the heavy stone door open and found Nico sitting on her bed staring at her feet. Will was sitting next to her looking worried but Nico wasn’t looking at the daughter of Apollo. That worried Jason, but the scratch on her cheek worried him more. It was exactly the same as the painting Rachel had shown him. Nico looked up when they entered and tried to smile. It was a valiant effort but it didn’t reach her eyes. 

“Come in. I need your help Jason. But Piper and Leo are involved too.” Jason nodded and sat on Nico’s bed as the daughter of Hades stood and began pacing. She pulled a small corked golden vial from the pocked of her black hoodie and set it down on the small coffee table that rested between them. Jason froze, Will raised an eyebrow but Leo spoke first.

“Ok why do I feel like you just put down a bomb Batgirl?” Nico didn’t even try to smile this time. There was indecision in her eyes and maybe a touch of fear. 

“It’s not a bomb. It’s a vial of water from the spring Mnemosyne, the spring of memory in the underworld.” Nico paused and Will frowned. 

“Isn’t that a good thing though? It can restore memories taken by the Lethe, right? So, it can restore your childhood memories, right?” Nico nodded slightly staring down at the vial.

“Yes, it could, but at a price.” Piper piped up at that eyes narrowing.

“What price?” Nico sighed running her hands through her hair.

“I lose everything that happened after I was dipped in the Lethe, all of it. The titan war, the war with Gaea, losing Bianca, finding Hazel, me and Will. All of it gone.” All eyes went wide and Will sprang to her feet. 

“All of it? Why? I mean I can understand wanting to know your childhood but you’d lose Hazel! I know how much your sister means to you, why would you even think about using it?” Nico sighed seeming to curl in on herself.

“Because if someone doesn’t use it, it becomes a deadly toxin that will seep out of the container in three days and kill everyone.” The room froze again. Leo stared at the vial that sat innocently on the table. 

“Ok so why don’t you take it back to the underworld?” Piper asked inching away from the vial.

“I can’t once it’s been taken out of the pool it can’t be returned. If I’d known I wouldn’t have taken it at all but she didn’t explain any of this till I was holding the damn thing!” Nico was doing her best to keep the panic out of her voice but she wasn’t doing it very well. She didn’t want to lose everything she’d found now when she was finally happy. Jason looked up at her. 

“You said if someone doesn’t take it. That someone doesn’t have to be you does it.” It wasn’t a question not really the painting was starting to make sense to him, except that Nico was still in it. He couldn’t let Nico lose everything. Nico looked down at her feet and shook her head. 

“No, it doesn’t but there’s a catch, even for you. Any false memories you have, or that anyone close to you has of you will be erased. It’s why I asked all three of you here.” Will pulled Nico close while the smaller girl tried not to cry. Jason turned to Piper then Leo. The mechanic spoke first.

“I’m on board. Life’s messed with Nico enough. Besides it’s only the false memories that’ll be erased, you’ll still be my best bud even without.” Piper smiled wide and ruffled Leo’s hair.

“He’s right. We can’t let you drink it Nico. You mean too much to all of us, we aren’t losing you, or letting you lose us that easily.” Jason pecked Piper on the cheek in thanks and stood grabbing the vial off the table. Nico grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“Are you sure Jason? I don’t know for sure if she was telling the truth or not. I learned the hard way never to take Olympians at face value.” Jason hugged Nico. 

“I’m not letting you risk it. You have more to lose here than I do. I know I’ll still love Piper and I have faith she’ll still love me. And Leo will always be my best friend. But you’re like a little sister to me. I’m not letting you lose anything else if there’s anything I can do about it.” Jason popped the cork one handed and stepped back from Nico before downing the water. It tasted odd, metallic. He blinked and then his eyes rolled up in his head and he fell.

Nico lunged forward to try and catch Jason but she wasn’t quite quick enough. He fell to the floor his glasses nearly falling off his face, the hand still holding the vial landing next to his head. He was glowing slightly. Another glow grew from the corner of the room. Few were aware but there was a small fountain filled with water from the river Styx in that corner. Nico kept it out of sight out of mind most of the time and hadn’t dared try to remove it when she’d remodeled, she wasn’t even sure how it had gotten there. It was currently glowing with a white gold glow. Nico lunged so she was in front of Jason, who was still laying prone on the floor, breathing but not moving. Out of the glow materialized a figure dressed in a white and gold Chiton. She smiled brushing her bronze locks out of her face as Nico glared. 

“I honestly didn’t see that coming. I expected a child of Hades to be too much of an outcast for anyone, even someone else with, shall we say memory issues, to drink it for you. I suppose I’ve been in the Underworld too long. You surprise me and I thought nothing would anymore. For that I will give you a gift daughter of Hades.” Mnemosyne lifted a hand and pointed a long elegant finger at Nico whose eyes went wide then rolled up into her head and she fell. Her hair splayed out under her head fell over Jason’s lax hand and partially over his face. Her eyes were closed and her breathing soft. Will screamed, the sound louder than it really should have been. The windows in the cabin cracked and several campers led by Clarisse burst into the room, weapons drawn. They found Will glaring up at Mnemosyne, Nico’s head cradled in her lap, a glow pulsing around the daughter of Apollo that could only be described as angry sunlight. Nico and Jason were both glowing too, though the glow around them matched the one around the goddess standing in the corner. 

“What did you do to her!?” Will was practically snarling. Clarisse didn’t think she’d ever seen the sunshiny daughter of the sun god this angry. The goddess in the corner smiled. 

“I gave her what she’s earned. Her memories back, no catches or clauses. She’ll remember everything. So will he.” She gestured to the prone form of Jason Grace who was almost obscured by Leo and Piper both of whom were sitting on the floor next to their friend. Leo had one hand in his hair like he was trying to rub away a headache. Piper too looked to be in a minimal amount of pain. The goddess smiled at Will.

“You know they used to say that children of Hades were unlovable. I hope they’re wrong. You two work so well together. There is much in store for you both. Be prepared little demigod.” With that she faded back into the fountain which burbled black water innocently. Will ran a hand through Nico’s hair still glowing slightly with worry. Clarisse lowered her spear.

“The hell was all that about Solace?” Will looked up at Clarisse and smiled weakly. 

“Nico finished a solo quest. She got Jason’s memories back, and her own. Hopefully. We’ll have to see when they wake up. We should move them to the infirmary just in case.” Clarisse nodded and handed her spear to Chris before stepping forward and scooping Nico up over her shoulder then doing the same with Jason. 

“Well then let’s do that lead on sunshine.” Will nodded and lead the way to the infirmary while the other demigods dispersed back to their respective activities, or to share the brand-new gossip they’d just acquired.


	23. Memories: Jason: Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The son of Jupiter meets the daughter of Pluto.

“It’s just patrol Reyna what could go wrong?” Reyna rolled her eyes at Jason. He was a centurion, on the fast track to becoming Praetor if he played his cards right, they both were. Even though they were only thirteen they had seen quite a few battles, they were at war after all. Saturn was rising and his throne was a stone’s throw from Camp Jupiter. One of their reconnaissance teams had come back with news that someone had set back the construction of the palace. A great wall of obsidian had toppled most of the front façade of the building and fallen atop many a formidable monster. While the Romans were celebrating that small victory, it made Jason a touch nervous. Something like that couldn’t be conjured easily. The young legionnaire who had reported to Jason, a boy by the name of Frank Zhang, had described feeling a darkness around the wall, a feeling of foreboding even death surrounding it. That could mean only one thing. A child of Pluto, wandering out there alone. He couldn’t think of many things more dangerous than that, especially if they ended up siding with Saturn as several demigods had done already. But he’d made the decision not to tell the senate about the possibility of another child of an elder god out there, not yet. They needed more proof than a mysterious wall and a feeling from a relatively new unclaimed legionnaire. He straightened his armor and pulled his coin out of the pocket of his jeans. It was imperial gold, a gift from his Patron Juno. A weapon to fight her battles for her. He flipped the coin and caught the spear that landed in his hand. Reyna grinned.

“Tails, bad luck my friend. You get the forest line. Good luck with that.” Jason rolled his eyes and elbowed Reyna.

“Yeah that means you get the river and docks. I do not envy you.” Reyna laughed. 

“Whatever flyboy, don’t get stuck in a tree again.” Jason chuckled and nodded before heading off to grab a few legionnaires for patrol. They’d had to up patrols lately because of the increased number of monsters in the area. He selected Dakota and Frank to help him with patrol and they set off past the tree lines. The fauns weren’t hanging around the tree line like they normally were, that worried him. He raised his hand and motioned for silence, there was a crackle up ahead of them, like the sound of a fire. They were far enough into the trees that it was becoming more forested foothills than anything else. They advanced slowly. After a few minutes following the sounds they found a clearing containing a rather strange sight. A girl in an overly large aviator jacket and black skinny jeans was laying on the ground. Her obsidian black hair fell all around her falling to just below her shoulders, there was a sword at her side like nothing Jason had ever seen. It was black as night and he’d bet it was much more dangerous than it looked. The girl’s eyes were closed and her breathing ragged. Between them and her was a fire in a circle of stones. Jason stepped forward, his spear at the ready, just in case it was a trap. Then the fire moved oddly and he noticed it wasn’t a normal fire. The fire turned and revealed the figure of a young girl standing in the flames. If it hadn’t been for the golden laurel wreath in her sparking hair Jason might not have recognized her. He knelt, the two legionnaires immediately following suit. 

“Lady Vesta.” The goddess in the fire smiled. 

“Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, warrior for Juno, it is good you recognize me. So few do these days.” Jason looked up slightly confused. Vesta smiled at him, it made him think of home, of Thalia baking cookies for him when he was three, of Reyna and him sparring and laughing afterwards. He couldn’t help the smile that built of his face at the thought of home. Vesta turned back to the unconscious girl on the ground. Jason motioned for the others to wait where they were and carefully stood to stand closer to the girl. It was only then that he saw the blood staining the grass. He glanced at Vesta for permission, when she nodded he rushed forward and set down his spear next to the girl before carefully turning her over. There were three long gashes in her side. Blood was still sluggishly seeping from them, turning the dancing skeletons on her t shirt from white to red. Jason looked up at Vesta. He could sense power in this girl, quite a bit of it. 

“What happened to her?” Vesta looked sad.

“A hellhound found her as she was resting after winning a great battle against our enemies. She escaped but only just. I would sponsor her entry into Camp Jupiter.” That raised Jason’s eyebrows. Vesta didn’t speak to demigods often, preferring to keep to herself in her temple, speaking rarely even to her Vestals. She had never sponsored a demigod before. She smiled at Jason again. 

“I know it is a bit odd for me to sponsor a demigod, you are correct. I have never done this before, but she is worth it.” Jason looked down at the unassuming figure laying in his arms.

“Who is she?” Vesta stood up straighter looking taller than before.

“She is Nico Di Angelo, daughter of Pluto, and Queen of Ghosts.” Dakota gasped and Frank dropped his bow. Vesta ignored them.

“She will be indispensable in the coming wars, young son of Jupiter. For now, her fate is in your hands. I have faith you will make the right decision.” Vesta began to shrink and Jason called out.

“My lady, wait. Was she the one who toppled Saturn’s castle?” Vesta smiled again this time at Nico.

“She is, she is a fierce defender of her friends. And a danger only to her enemies, and sadly on occasion to herself.” With a sad smile the goddess vanished in a puff of smoke. Jason picked up the coin that had shrunk from the spear when he’d set it down and slipped it into his pocket before picking up Nico careful of the wounds on her side. She groaned in pain but remained unconscious. There was a slightly smoldering scroll wrapped around a golden broach in the remains of the fire and Dakota quickly collected them and the two legionnaires followed Jason to back to camp. 

Reyna was returning from patrol when Jason came running out of the forest full pelt an unfamiliar figure in his arms. For a moment, Reyna thought it might be Dakota but then the two legionnaires Jason had taken with him followed him out of the forest. That was unusual enough for her to investigate. She headed him off as he raced for the Via Principalis and the permanent field hospital there. The figure in his arms was a girl maybe a year or two younger than Jason himself and bleeding sluggishly against Jason’s armor. Reyna had never seen her before but she could sense power like she’d only felt from Jason before from this girl. 

“Jason, what…” He shook his head and raced past her into the small field hospital near the barracks. Dakota saluted and explained what had happened in the woods. Reyna nodded and raced off to fetch the Praetor. He would need to be informed of this immediately. The discovery of another child of the elder gods, sponsored by a goddess who never sponsored anyone, it was a sign. Soon Jason and Reyna were standing before the Praetor and the Augur whose apprentice was running around in the background. The current Augur was an elderly man, in his late sixties, the grandfather of his apprentice Octavian, who would soon be taking over when the current Augur retired. Unlike most other posts in Camp Jupiter the Augur did not have an age limit and was appointed by the senate for their proficiency with the power of prophecy. The current Augur was a direct descendant of Apollo, Octavian was only a legacy but he’d passed all the tests. Reyna didn’t like Octavian but here they were. The Praetor, a son of Mars by the name of Randel, shook his head at the scroll in his hands. 

“The sponsorship holds true.” The Augur nodded. 

“Our Praetor is right, the sponsorship is genuine. But the Auguries deny her entry into the legion. This complicates things. You said Lady Vesta called her by a separate title than daughter of Pluto.” Jason nodded. 

“She did. She called her the Queen of Ghosts.” The Augur nodded and turned to Octavian. 

“Fetch me the book of Pluto from the back room.” Octavian nodded and raced off. He returned moments later with a book not much bigger than Reyna’s hand. It was so thin Reyna might have mistaken it for a children’s book had it not been for the symbol on the cover. Pluto’s symbol, a two-pronged trident holding an orb in the place of the center prong. The Augur flipped it open and found the page he was looking for quickly. 

“Manibus Regis, or Regina Manes. King of Ghosts or Queen of Ghosts. Like most things about children of the underworld not much is known. However, the title is mentioned in several texts in reference to one who hold dominion over the dead, this is also the title used to reference the as yet unfilled position of Pluto’s lieutenant.” Reyna swore you could have heard a pin drop in the room. The Praetor cleared his throat. 

“Are you telling me we have a demigod who is the lieutenant of her godly parent in our field hospital?” The Augur handed the book back to Octavian who had to be prodded to leave the room. 

“It’s possible, most of the information in that book is hearsay or speculation. There has never been a child of the underworld at Camp Jupiter, they, like children of Neptune, are considered unlucky. And they tend to keep to themselves when not wreaking havoc.” Jason stepped forwards.

“If I may.” The Praetor nodded for him to speak.

“Lady Vesta spoke for her in person, I and two others witnessed this. The Goddess confirmed that the small victory against Saturn and his forces on Mount Tam was won by her. She is the one who toppled Saturn’s palace, set his forces back months. She bought us time to prepare for the battles to come. Lady Vesta herself said that she would be indispensable to the wars to come. I believe we should not write her off for her parentage. None of us have even met the girl truly. Give her the chance every demigod deserves.” The Praetor paused, thinking. 

“You do your father justice Jason Grace, the son of the god of justice indeed. Very well. You are responsible for her until we can find a place for her, as the Augur has denied her admittance into the legion the gods must have another plan. If she steps out of line it’s on you Jason Grace. I hope you know what you’re doing.” Jason nodded and the Praetor dismissed the two centurions.

“What were you thinking Jason! You could have just thrown away your future for a girl you admit to knowing nothing about. Are you crazy?” Jason shook his head at Reyna.

“I’m not crazy Reyna. I know that one of the most peaceful goddess’s in Rome just stood up for a child of Pluto. Vesta has never had dealings with Pluto in any story I’ve ever heard. What does that tell you?” Reyna shook her head thinking.

“It tells me that there’s something different about this child of Pluto. But you risked everything.” Jason nodded.

“Because it could have been me. She’s likely the only other demigod on the planet who understands the pressure on a child of the elder gods.” Reyna nodded looking at Jason. She sometimes forgot how much pressure was on him to be perfect all the time, he had immense grace under pressure for someone his age but he was still only a child like the rest of them. Reyna bid him farewell at the Via Principalis and left to finish her patrol. 

Jason stopped off at his barracks to change out of his bloodied armor into something less threatening and set off for the field hospital. He informed the healers that he was responsible for the child of Pluto for the duration of her stay at Camp Jupiter and they allowed him entry into her hospital room. Nico was laying on the bed, still asleep but looking much more peaceful than she had. Her wounds were bandaged and she’d been cleaned up. She was hooked up to an IV drip. Word had spread rapidly about the discovery of another child of the elder gods but it had also spread that she was a child of death so many were staying as far away as possible. One of the healers entered the room and saluted Jason. He was a member of the third cohort, James something, Jason couldn’t remember his last name.

“Centurion, I’ve been told to report to you about her?” Jason nodded. 

“Yes, I’m responsible for her for the duration of her stay. How’s she doing?” The healer sighed. 

“Her wounds were deep but they are healing well. The exhaustion is a bigger problem, along with malnutrition. I’d say she hasn’t slept in weeks and hasn’t had a decent meal in longer than that. She’s clearly been on her own for a long time.” Jason had expected her to have been on her own but not that bad. There was a groaning from the bed and Nico opened her eyes for the first time. They were deep dark brown, like the overturned earth on a fresh grave.

“Where am I?” She sat up looking around warily hand going to where her sword had hung from her side. It was now carefully stored in the small locker under the hospital bed, along with what had been salvageable of her clothes as she was currently in a hospital gown. Jason stood and smiled.

“You’re safe. My name’s Jason. Lady Vesta said yours is Nico?” Nico struggled to sit up wincing in pain. James stepped forward.

“You shouldn’t sit up just yet, you’ll tear your stitches. That hellhound cut deep enough to damage some internal organs, luckily it was minimal damage but even with unicorn draft you’ll need time to heal.” Nico was looking more confused and guarded by the minute. Jason motioned the healer back and stepped up to the side of the bed.

“You’re probably confused and a bit disoriented but I promise you’re safe. You’re in Camp Jupiter, safest place for demigods on the planet.” Jason explained what Camp Jupiter was about as Nico warily allowed the healer to take her vitals and check her stiches. The daughter of Pluto still looked warry when Jason was done explaining everything, including the fact that he was responsible for her for as long as she chose to stay, or at least until the Praetor decided what to do or the gods made their will known. Nico muttered something about her not staying long, Jason decided he’d ask what she meant later.

“You look like you have questions.” Nico nodded slightly still looking guarded.

“I had no idea that there was a camp like this. It’s a bit much to take in.” Jason nodded.

“To be honest this isn’t how most demigods find camp. Most have to pass Lupa’s trials first and then she leads us here.” Nico nodded. 

“Makes sense, she raised the fathers of Rome after all, Romulus and Remus, right?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

“You know your mythology. I’m a bit impressed, most don’t.” Nico shrugged slightly.

“It’s a hobby. Has been for a long time.” Jason nodded though her answer felt somehow cryptic. 

“How long have you been on your own?” Nico frowned.

“Around six months, almost seven.” Jason raised an eyebrow. A powerful demigod would attract a lot of monsters to have survived that long was a feat. 

“I found my way to the underworld pretty early on.” Jason nodded. 

“Must be pretty cool to have your godly parent actually acknowledge you.” Nico laughed bitterly.

“I would prefer to be ignored at this point, rather that than being an errand girl who gets ignored anyway half the time and disappointed looks the other half.” Jason’s eyebrows shot up. He’d always thought that it might be better if Jupiter acknowledged him but hearing something like that he felt a bit better about where he sat, off his father’s radar. There was a bitter sadness in Nico’s voice and her eyes were haunted. She looked so young. 

“Nico how old are you?” Nico glanced up from her intent examination of her fingernails, which were broken and ragged. 

“Twelve.” She was a year younger than him. At least he’d had Camp Jupiter for the majority of his childhood. She had no one. There was a knock at the door. It was Dakota. 

“I have to go, I’ll come back before inspection and check up on you.” Nico raised an eyebrow at him and narrowed her eyes slightly. 

“Why, what’s in it for you? I’m not going anywhere or doing much of anything until I’m healed so I’m not a threat to your reputation, why go out of your way?” It was Jason’s turn to raise an eyebrow. 

“Is it so hard to believe that someone might just want to help you?” Nico’s expression didn’t change.

“In my experience, most people don’t do anything unless it benefits them in some way.” Jason’s eyebrows shot up. He’d seen jaded demigods before but never this young.

“Well maybe you’ve been hanging around the wrong people.” Nico’s glare didn’t soften, if anything it grew more intense. 

“Hanging out with the dead tends to give one perspective.” Jason shrugged. 

“I’ll still be back.” Nico didn’t stop glaring untrustingly as he left the room. 

The daughter of death ended up staying for two days, both of them spent in the field hospital. Once she found out who Jason’s father was she talked much less and looked even more guarded if that was possible. Jason introduced her to Reyna but the daughter of Bellona had no better luck getting Nico to open up. She admitted that she was the one who summoned the wall that had toppled the front half of Saturn’s palace but wouldn’t say why. She refused to talk about her introduction to the demigod world or say anything about how she’d stayed alive this long. She did however inform them of a few camps of monsters that they hadn’t known about, their reconnaissance teams confirmed the existence of the camps. On the third day Jason returned from dinner to find an empty dark room. The sheets were rumpled and the IV was dripping onto the floor. Nico’s things were gone except for her ruined dancing skeletons shirt and there was a note left on the blankets in neat cursive handwriting on what appeared to be a stolen prescription pad.

‘I told you I wouldn’t stay long. Thank you for your help but we both know I don’t belong here. I wish you luck in the war son of Jupiter. Nico.’ He wouldn’t see her again for nearly a month.


	24. Memories: Jason: Senate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone calls for an old seat in the Senate to be filled once more. Another Daughter of Pluto arrives at Camp Jupiter.

It had been nearly a month since Nico had left Camp Jupiter, though no one had seen her leave. No mischief had been visited upon them, no armies of the undead had appeared to slaughter them all but several of the camps of monsters had been decimated. If Jason had to guess he’d say that Nico was trying to send a message. He told the senate as much when asked to speak on the issue. 

“I don’t know her well enough to know exactly what she’s doing but I know she’s intelligent and on the side of the gods. If I were in her position I would take out as many monsters as I could around camp to show that I’m not on their side. She knows she can’t be part of the legion, that doesn’t mean she can’t help.” Jason stated in front of the entire senate. Reyna had been wary of standing with him on this as she still didn’t trust the daughter of Pluto, there were too many unknowns for her taste. But by his side she stood. The senate muttered to themselves but the muttering died down as the shadows in the corner grew and a slow but loud clapping echoed around the room. Silence fell entirely as a large figure moved out of the shadow. He was tall and gaunt, dressed in black robes that seemed to be made up of tormented souls trapped in the folds of the cloth. His hair was black and his eyes were darker than the blackest void. He was holding the two-pronged trident a black orb that radiated shadows in the place of the center prong, the symbol of Pluto. The entire senate bowed. 

“A very astute observation Jason Grace. I see that you have some measure of intelligence. My daughter was not wrong about you.” Jason’s eyes widened. He glanced up and saw that Pluto was watching him closely. The Praetor stepped forwards and bowed.

“Lord Pluto, to what do we owe this honor?” Pluto glanced at him derisively. 

“I am here to send you an envoy. There was once a position in Rome that few would wish for. I call for it to be filled once again. I call for the reinstatement of the ambassador of Pluto.” There was a shocked murmur around the senate hall. The Praetor bowed again. 

“Absolutely Lord Pluto. Who would you have fill this roll?” Pluto looked down on the Praetor in something like disgust. 

“My own daughter, Nico Di Angelo.” He gestured behind him and it was then that Jason spotted Nico standing in the shadows. She wasn’t in her jeans and T shirt anymore though. No, she was dressed in traditional Roman robes, all of them colored black with gold accents. Golden bracelets rested at her wrists, with matching necklaces and a golden laurel wreath rested in her elegantly curled hair. She looked very pretty, almost ethereal but also still vaguely threatening, though that could have just been the look in her eyes that clearly stated, to Jason at least, that she did not want to be here. But she stepped forward and the Praetor reached out a hand. She took it and shook it as Pluto smiled almost sinisterly and vanished into the darkness again. 

“We will have an apartment set up for you in New Rome, Ambassador. For the moment one of our best will show you around Camp Jupiter. Centurion Grace! Give her the tour.” Jason nodded and stepped forward bowing slightly. Nico didn’t smile but she inclined her head his way and he took that as a step in the right direction. He motioned for her to follow him and she did, carefully walking like she was trying not to trip on the long black robes. The senate was quiet as they exited the room but as Jason closed the door behind them he could hear noise level grow to almost unbearable levels. He quickly led Nico away from the Senate House and off to the fifth cohort’s barracks. 

“You look extremely uncomfortable. I can find you something to change into if you want.” Nico looked down at the intricately decorated robes she still wore. 

“Well you’re not wrong. I don’t remember the last time I wore a dress let alone a toga. But I do have some things with me. I just need a place to change.” Jason nodded and showed her to the bathroom. About five minutes later she came out in black jeans and a black t shirt with a skull and crossed bones on the front the familiar aviator jacket hanging off her small frame. Though her hair remained elegantly curled the laurel wreath was missing. She wasn’t holding any of the clothes she’d had. Jason decided it was best not to ask and began to show her around camp. The tour took several hours and by the end of it Jason could tell that Nico would rather be anywhere else but here. She hadn’t said a word since they had left the fifth cohort’s barracks, instead walking around behind him hands jammed in the pockets of her overly large jacket. Reyna found them as Jason was showing her around the civilian streets of New Rome. She informed him that her apartment was nearly ready, that it was the penthouse of one of the apartment buildings on the edge of New Rome near the senate house. At the end of the tour they arrived and the slightly nervous building super, a daughter of Venus who always looked like a runway model, handed Nico the keys to the penthouse. Nico nodded her thanks and took them and finally spoke. 

“Is there any paperwork I need to sign?” The daughter of Venus nodded still looking very nervous.

“We can take care of that later Ambassador.” Nico nodded.

“Call me Nico, please. And if it makes you feel better I honestly won’t spend a whole lot of time here, and I prefer to keep to myself.” The roman nodded looking relieved.

“Alright Nico, you can call me Carly. I’m sorry to be so nervous. I’ve just never met a daughter of Pluto before.” Nico shrugged. 

“It’s quite alright, I tend to have that effect on people.” Jason stood to the side watching the exchange. Nico was a very polite person, especially for someone he knew to be so jaded against people in general. Carly explained to the young demigod how to use the key on the elevator. She just had to insert the key into the last slot and turn it before she would be able to push the button for her floor. Nico nodded and said she would be staying a few days to learn how things worked at Camp Jupiter. Jason escorted her into the elevator, intent on making sure she got up to her rooms safely. As the elevator took it’s time getting to the top floor Jason looked over the daughter of Pluto. She stood in the shadiest corner of the elevator, hands shoved into pockets looking decidedly uncomfortable in her own skin. She almost looked like she was curled in on herself as if she was trying to disappear into the shadows.

“What did you mean you won’t be spending a lot of time here?” Nico leaned back against the wall pointedly not meeting Jason’s eyes.

“There’s a war going on out there, and it’s not going to be won sitting in an apartment in California.” Jason nodded, he understood how she felt. He was honestly a touch jealous of her freedom to leave whenever she wanted. As the Ambassador of Pluto, it was expected that she would be there for senate meetings but since she wasn’t also a part of the legion she had no obligation to stay at camp. She could travel at her leisure, and since her father was also the god of wealth he expected she never had any problems with travel expenses. 

“Yeah, I understand how you feel, sometimes I wish I was free to go out and do what I wanted.” Nico’s laugh was bitter and sharp.

“If I got to do what I wanted I certainly wouldn’t be here. We both know I don’t belong. The senate doesn’t trust me, no one I know trusts me. I don’t belong anywhere. But it’s fine, I’m used to it. My father wants a presence in Camp Jupiter, fine here I am.” The elevator dinged and opened into a large well furnished apartment. The walls were tasteful dark wood paneling, the space set up like a show room more than a home. Nico stepped out of the elevator and looked around. Jason bowed slightly.

“Let me know if you need anything. I’m not hard to find.” Nico nodded.

“Thank you, Jason.” Jason smiled slightly as the elevator doors began to close. 

“You’re welcome Nico.” She didn’t smile as the doors slid fully closed. Jason sighed leaning against the side of the elevator still in full ceremonial armor from the senate meeting. He hoped Nico would start to feel at home in Camp Jupiter. Despite her slightly prickly nature Jason felt like all Nico wanted was to be accepted and he was going to go out of his way until she felt like she belonged, it was true that he wasn’t sure if he trusted her yet and he knew she didn’t trust him but he could hope that someday they would at least get along. Every demigod deserved whatever measure of happiness they could get. 

He couldn’t know at the time that everything was going to change in the next few months. Their Praetor would be killed in a skirmish outside of camp within the next week, their augur would retire at the news. An election would be held that Reyna would win in a landslide. Less than a year later he himself would topple Saturn’s seat of power and be lifted on the shields of his fellow Legionnaire’s, elevated to Praetor alongside his best friend. As she’d told him, Nico wasn’t a permeant fixture in Camp Jupiter in that time. She came and went, a shadow in the background. He knew they wouldn’t have been able to find their way through Saturn’s palace without her. She’d taken it on herself to go on recon through the monster infested home of titans. She’d appeared a month before the final battle and unfurled a hand drawn map of the palace. This had raised quite a few eyebrows around the senate. All she asked for in return for this information was private access to the libraries around New Rome. She wouldn’t say what she was looking for specifically, all she would say was she was looking for a way to win the war. Jason was never sure if she found what she was looking for but every time he saw her she looked more tired more bedraggled. Then she just stopped showing up. They had no way to contact her, no way of knowing if she was even still alive. Jason had faith though that she would be alright and come back when she was ready. 

A few days after the final battle Lupa led a new demigod into camp. She was dark skinned with hair for miles and beautiful gleaming golden eyes. She crossed the Little Tiber and Lupa howled, satisfied. Then she turned to the gathered Romans and spoke.

“Hazel Levesque has passed my tests. She is a Roman, true as any other. May the daughter of Pluto serve you well, Praetor Grace.” That sent a ripple through the crowd. Then quiet clapping took over and soon the group was tentatively clapping for the young daughter of Pluto. She smiled dazzlingly and Jason spotted Frank looking transfixed. She was probably two years younger than him. Then someone stepped up next to Jason and Hazel ran forward launching herself into the arms of Nico Di Angelo. The now fourteen-year-old daughter of Pluto smiled a genuine smile, something Jason had never seen before. She wrapped her arms around her sister. Jason couldn’t help the smile on his face, he wondered if Thalia would have had a similar expression if he ever found her. 

“Ambassador, I believe you would be best suited to showing your sister to the Augur?” Nico pulled back from the hug the smile not falling from her eyes as she turned to Jason and bowed slightly.

“Of course, and I am glad to see you are handling your new position with grace and dignity.” Jason groaned as the crowd let out a belt of surprised laughter.

“Not you too! Come on, I’ve been dealing with those jokes since day one.” The corner of Nico’s mouth twitched up.

“Then by now you should be able to handle them with a bit of grace.” Jason laughed and shook his head as Nico took Hazel’s hand.

“Praetor.” Nico bowed slightly again. Hazel followed her sisters example and bowed to Jason before following her sister towards Temple Hill. As he watched the two children of death walk away from the still slightly stunned group of demigods he smiled to himself. He had a strange feeling that everything was beginning to fall into place and that somehow at the end of the day they would be alright.


	25. Memories: Nico: First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico meets a god for the first time.

‘Close your eyes, I know what you see. The darkness is high and you’re in ten feet deep. But we’ve survived more terrible monsters than sleep, and you know I will be here to tell you to breathe.’

Nico watched out the window as solders marched down the street. They held aloft large red banners with a black symbol surrounded in white. The sight unnerved Nico even at age seven she knew these people were wrong, evil. Bianca pulled her away from the window and back to her small bag. 

‘Tu sei il mio soldatino. La ragione per cui vivo. (You are my little soldier. The reason I live.)’

“Why can’t we play outside anymore mama?” Bianca asked hanging from their mother’s long bright purple skirt. Their mother smiled down at them sadly. 

“It’s not safe for you to be outside alone anymore mi amore.” Nico pulled at her mother’s skirt, she was five.

“My friend is missing Mama. Clarence and his papa aren’t at home anymore.” Maria Di Angelo’s eyes filled with tears as she scooped up her youngest child and buried her face in her hair and cried.

‘Non ti scordar di me. Io vengliero su di te. (Don’t forget me. I’m watching over you.)’

The rocking of the waves made Nico feel slightly sick. Bianca looked worse off though, positively green. They were crammed into a small cabin in a cargo ship. They had left home in the middle of the night, only a single small bag to each of their names. Their mother had paid a tall scruffy man a lot of money and he’d ushered them onto the ship hiding the entrance to their tiny cabin behind several large crates. Their mother was praying in a language that definitely wasn’t Italian but Nico could understand her perfectly. She was praying for their safe passage to the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon. The cabin shook and Nico couldn’t help but hide in her mother’s arms. 

‘Stumbling lost, the last choice of all that you meet.’

A few days later Nico stood on the deck of the ship, off to the side trying to stay out of the way. Bianca stuck to their cabin but Nico was curious, she couldn’t help it. She peeked over the edge of the ship, the water bellow was dark, constantly moving and beautiful. A gentle hand lay itself on her shoulder.

“Be careful little one, don’t want to fall in.” Nico looked up at a tall tanned man with black hair and a beard. He was big, like the other sailors and his eyes were the same color as the surf below the ship. He was in a white shirt and tan pants rolled up around black shiny boots. There was a small pin on the lapel of his shirt in the shape of a trident. He looked nice. Nico smiled at him and apologized quietly. The sound of a hatch opening caught Nico’s attention and she grinned running clumsily across the deck into her mother’s arms. She looked up and saw her mother staring at the man, fear in her eyes. 

“You?” The man smiled almost sadly, they were speaking that same language Nico’s mother had been praying in but, though the seven-year-old had never heard it before then, she understood it perfectly.

“I’m not here to hurt anyone. Some of my brother’s children may have chosen madness but that doesn’t mean they all will.” Maria’s grip on Nico tightened almost painfully and she stepped between her and the sailor. 

“You know this to be true?” The man shook his head.

“The future is for Apollo not myself. I am taking the chance though. Your children have done nothing wrong yet. I will not move against them unless they do. And even then, the business of demigods is best left to demigods. You will reach America safely. From there, I cannot say.” Nico looked up at her mother excitement in her eyes.

“We’re going to America mama?” Maria glanced down at her daughter and smiled slightly, nodding. There hadn’t been time to ask questions when they had boarded the ship. Nico looked back up to ask the man something but he was gone, only a slight ocean breeze left behind in his wake. She never saw him again.

‘It’s the cost of ruling those ‘neath your feet. Paths you’ve crossed and trust you’re trying to keep.’

Nico sat on the steps of the embassy with Bianca next to her, reading a book. They were in America after a long journey across the sea and they had sought sanctuary with a cousin of her mothers, the Italian ambassador in America. Washington DC was cold and unfamiliar with large unforgiving stone structures everywhere and a feeling of foreboding hanging in the air much like the one at home. No one wore patches on their jackets like they had been forced to do back home though, Nico thought that was a good thing. Her friend Clarence had worn a patch on his jacket and he’d hated it. Nico toyed with the paper doll in her hand absentmindedly. A gust of wind picked up and blew the doll, one of the only things she had left from her home out of her hands. Without thinking she took off after it. Bianca shouted after her but Nico was busy chasing the doll. 

She caught up to it in an alley way where the wind just stopped blowing it. She carefully picked it up and heard something from around the corner, music. It was beautiful, played on a violin by a tall man with sunshine blonde hair partially hidden under a cap. The case for the violin was open in front of him and passersby would occasionally drop bills or coins into it. Nico stayed in the shadows to listen to the music. At the end of the song he smiled and looked over his shoulder directly at Nico like he’d known she was there the whole time. 

“It’s alright. You can come out.” Nico carefully stepped out of the shadows keeping close to the wall. The man smiled brightly. 

“Not many really stop to listen these days. Music is the last thing on most people’s minds in times like this.” He was speaking English and Nico nodded. She was still learning English but she smiled up at the man. 

“I thought you played really well.” Sky blue eyes twinkled at her heavily accented words.

“Thank you little one.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sunflower tucking it behind Nico’s ear. Despite it having been in the man’s pocket it was in perfect condition. And seemed to follow the man as he placed a hand on Nico’s shoulder.

“The years ahead may be rough but I know you’ll find happiness someday. Remember that.” An arm caught Nico’s and she turned. Bianca was glaring at her, looking worried.

“Nico! You can’t just run off like that. It’s not safe.” Nico turned to explain that she had been listening to the music but the man was gone. She let Bianca lead her back to the embassy but she kept the sunflower pressed inside one of the books her mother’s cousin had given her.


	26. Memories: Nico: Struck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico's mother is murdered in front of her.

‘You’re exhausted, listening for a voice that can’t speak. Ma Nico, mio caro (My Nico, my heart)’

Nico woke up crying. She could tell something was wrong but she didn’t know what. She only knew that she wouldn’t be seeing her grandmother again. She toddled her way to her mother’s room. The three-year-old pushed open the door with some difficulty and her mother stirred and sat up rubbing her eyes.

“Nico? Mio caro, what’s wrong?” Maria Di Angelo stepped quickly out of bed and scooped up her daughter cradling her in her arms. Nico couldn’t explain what she was feeling she had no idea how to put it into words all she could get out was ‘Grandmama.’ A few hours later there was a knock on the door and their housekeeper, an older lady who kind of scared Nico by the name of Nancy Dodds, spoke in her raspy sickly sweet voice.

“Miss Di Angelo, there is news about your mother. She passed away early this morning.” Nico didn’t understand what that meant but it made her cry harder. 

‘Tu sei il mio soldatino. La ragione ho vissuto. Non ti scordar di me. Io vegliero su di te. (You are my little solder. The reason I live. Don’t forget me. I’m watching over you.)’

Nico stared out the window of the train car. They were moving again, out of Washington, to California. Her mother had said that their father had arranged for them to move into a beautiful new apartment, and for her and Bianca to be schooled at home. Bianca had been very upset about this, she’d just started to enjoy Washington but Nico had been nervous about the clouds that had been constantly covering the whole city for the past few weeks. She was glad to get out of there, even if the conductor on the train gave her the creeps. And she would get to see her father again. She’d only met him once. When she was four he’d appeared in her nursery after a nightmare. He’d looked a lot like her, skin much paler than her mother’s though without the touch of olive her Italian heritage supplied her, and flyaway black hair. He’d picked her up and comforted her singing a song in a language she didn’t recognize but somehow understood. She barely remembered that night though and when she’d asked her mother about where he went the next morning she had said that he’d never been there. But Bianca believed her for she’d seen the same man that night who’d told her a story to help her sleep.

‘So, you run, through shadows you roam.’

Nico stared at the small skeleton in front of her. It was a mouse no bigger than her palm and it was clearly dead. But it was moving and making a sound like it was trying to squeak. Bianca stood next to her looking like she wanted very much to pick up her four-year-old sister and run but Nico was too transfixed. She’d seen the dead mouse in the field they normally played in and felt bad, it was only a baby after all. Then it had started moving. Nico reached out and the small skeleton climbed up onto her hand and squeaked at her, almost happily. She giggled. Her mother called out to them from across the field and Bianca made her leave the mouse behind. 

‘Seams undone, by the love you thought you could own.’

A nine-year-old Nico sat at the base of a tree watching from the shadows as a boy of about fifteen snuck off into the trees with another boy of the same age. She followed them and found them kissing in a small grove of trees, she left them alone but wondered why when she asked her mother about it her mother warned her not to tell anyone else or the boys might get in trouble. She didn’t understand what was wrong about it. They loved each other, how could that be wrong?

She confided in Bianca that she didn’t have any interest in boys, like Bianca herself seemed to. But that she thought the girl who lived down the street, Mia was very pretty. Bianca warned her never to tell anyone about it, that it could get them killed. Nico didn’t understand but she decided to listen to her sister.

‘But she’s just one of many that you might call home, and maybe someday the bitter will fade from your bones.’

Bianca was chasing Nico around their spacious living room, the two of them weaving in and out of the bookshelves and columns that made up the room. Nico laughed loudly looking back at her sister. She didn’t see the tall man in the black suit until it was too late and she’d run straight into his legs. She looked up from where she’d fallen to the floor and saw a familiar gaunt face and eyes that looked almost black at first glance but faded to the deep brown of freshly turned earth as she watched. She stood carefully brushing off her skirt and apologized. The man smiled. 

“It’s alright. Where’s your mother Nico? I need to speak with her.” The ten-year-old pointed to the small study, and the man smiled ruffling her hair. Bianca stayed well back from the visitor though he flashed the same warm smile at her.

‘Fade from your bones. Eri il mio soldatino. Ora une principessa oscuro. Ma anche per te, c’e una luce che ad un’altra vita ti conduce. (You were my little soldier. Now a dark princess. But even for you there is a light that leads you to another life.)’

The smell of burnt flesh wafted through the partially destroyed house, a rancid smell that clung to the nose and stayed for days. An undercurrent of electricity accompanied it as the man Nico knew to be her father sobbed clutching the corpse that had once been her mother. Bianca had fallen to the floor in shock as the obsidian walls had risen up to protect them, but Nico could only watch as their mother was struck down by a bolt of lightning that came in through the roof of their home. Even as a shorter man in a leather jacket that Nico vaguely recognized as the conductor on the train that had brought them to California entered the room. Her father stared down at the corpse in his arms then looked up at his children. Bianca was crying calling out for their mother but Nico could only stare, she was too deep in shock.

“Take them, wash their memories in the Lethe. Put them in the casino.” He kept talking but Nico couldn’t even hear anymore all she could do was look at the lifeless body of her mother as her father carefully lay her down on the floor. The short man in the leather jacket grabbed Nico’s hand and dragged her out of the room as Bianca sobbed on his other side. They were put into a car and driven to a small radio studio, the sign in the window read DOA Recording studios. They were taken down a long elevator that stopped being an elevator after a short while. Instead it became a small barge on a black river. The short man who had collected them from their home changed too, into a shriveled hag with bat like wings perched on the back of the boat. Nico watched all this with a strange detachment as Bianca grew more upset and tense behind her. The boat bypassed the dock and continued down the river winding past a large ornate palace and a grove of black poplar trees. The river changed as the stoic man guiding it pulled off onto the black sanded shores near a small lake. 

“This is as far as I go.” The thing that had been a man nodded before guiding Nico and Bianca out of the boat. It was only now that Nico realized there were tears streaming down her face. The thing, monster, lead them to the pool and shifted back to its human guise. Another creature flew up to them and held Bianca back as the man Alecto, Nico’s memory supplied along with another image of her mother’s burnt corpse, guided Nico forward into the water. She couldn’t even struggle as he held her head under the water all she could do was sob as the world was washed white. 

She was pulled out of the comforting white flumes back into the harsh dark air. She coughed up water tears falling down her face. Why was she crying? She couldn’t remember. She knew her name and that the girl being dunked under the water of the underground pool was her sister Bianca but everything else was a blur of white water. She coughed again, supported by an old lady who looked kind of familiar but she couldn’t place why. The old lady smiled, it was full of teeth that seemed overly sharp. 

“Hello honey. Do you remember your name?” Nico nodded.

“I’m Nico. Nico Di Angelo. Who are you?”


	27. Memories: Jason: Snatched

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Nico have a conversation before Jason is taken by Juno.

Jason stood out on the balcony of the Praetor’s villa overlooking New Rome. It was night time and the lights of the city glowed gold under a full moon. Stars twinkled above him and he sighed. Someone stepped out of the shadows next to him and leaned on the railing. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” It was Nico. That made him glace up, he’d expected Reyna but he smiled anyway. Nico was cool, the daughter of Pluto might still be something of an enigma but they more than likely wouldn’t have won the war against Saturn without her. He looked back out over the city and sighed. 

“It’s nothing.” Nico snorted derisively. 

“Yeah and I enjoy Senate meetings.” Jason laughed at her sarcastic remark. It was common knowledge that the Ambassador of Pluto had little patience for the occasionally petty goings on of the Senate. 

“I don’t know, just a bad feeling. It’s been quiet for a few months.” Nico nodded and folded her hands in front of her. 

“The calm before another storm.” Jason nodded slightly at the daughter of deaths words.

“Yeah, but it feels like something’s going to happen soon.” Nico nodded slightly her face still in shadow. 

“Something’s begun. That much I know. Things in the Underworld are growing restless. How’s Hazel doing?” Nico hadn’t been by in a few weeks, presumably dealing with said restlessness in the Underworld. Jason grinned.

“Fantastically, she’s already made Centurion.” He turned and fully faced Nico for the first time since she’d appeared. His eyes widened. Nico was a bit of a mess. Her shirt, black as usual, was torn and tattered, she was thin as a rake and so pale she practically glowed in the moonlight highlighting the obvious injuries she was sporting. There was a dark bruise blossoming under her right eye, her bottom lip was split and bloody. There were scratches at her neck, shallow but bloody. Her usual aviator jacket was tied around her waist revealing arms covered in scars and a few fresh cuts and bruises. Her hair was matted with the dust monsters burst into when slain. Her jeans were torn up and her knees where scraped and bruised. Her shoes were splattered with mud and monster dust. She turned to him and snorted at the expression on Jason’s face.

“What? You’d think you’d never seen a demigod after a fight before.” Jason scowled and rolled his eyes. 

“Explains why you didn’t go to Hazel first. You need anything?” Nico shook her head.

“No, I’ve got what I need at my apartment but I wanted to see how Hazel was doing first.” Jason nodded. 

“Without her kicking your ass for getting hurt and not getting actual treatment by a doctor, or at least a medic.” Nico nodded slightly. 

“There is that, though I doubt she would actually kick my ass.” Jason laughed. 

“I doubt she could. She’s good and getting better daily but I don’t think she’s on your level.” Nico’s smile was a bit sinister. Jason had only seen her in battle once but she was a sight to see on the battle field. She radiated death on a whim and he swore that if she tried hard enough she could kill with a look. Her sword was a devastating tool that she used to cleave monsters in two and summon the dead. He couldn’t help but wonder what had managed to get her so beat up but he didn’t ask, Nico tended to shut out anyone who tried to pry into her life.

“Why come here though, I mean you could have popped in and out of the fifth cohort’s barracks without anyone knowing you were ever there.” Nico shrugged wincing slightly.

“I don’t know. I guess the same reason you came out here. Nice view, good place to think about bad feeling and things to come.” She stifled a yawn and stretched cracking her back. Some of the dust caught in her hair rained to the balcony. Jason shook his head slightly.

“You should get some sleep Nico.” The daughter of death raised a condescending eyebrow at him. 

“Don’t tell me what to do Grace.” From anyone else the words would have sounded like insubordination but from Nico there was almost a teasing quality to them. Her mouth didn’t smile but her eyes were twinkling. He couldn’t help but hope she opened up to him eventually, she seemed like she would be a good and true friend if you could get past the wall of shadows she surrounded herself with. He was chipping away at it but it would take time. Nico looked back out over the city. 

“Besides I wanted to check in. See if everything was alright.” That made Jason raise an eyebrow, Nico never openly cared about anyone but Hazel.

“Oh? Why’s that?” Nico shook her head. 

“Not sure, just a bad feeling.” Jason nodded smiling slightly and gently placing his hand on Nico’s shoulder. 

“We children of the elder gods gotta look out for each other.” Jason had been expecting one of Nico’s rare genuine smiles, not the scary one from earlier, but the one that showed a glimpse of who Nico might have been before she was dragged unwillingly into the battles between gods and monsters. That smile was rarer than a sighting of the gods themselves these days. Jason had only ever caught a glimpse of it when Nico smiled at Hazel. Instead her whole face darkened and the shadows around them seemed to deepen, the whole night seeming to darken around them despite the bright moon hanging overhead. 

“Yes, we should.” There was a faraway hollow tone to Nico’s voice as she played absently with the shadows that had gathered around her hands. They curled around her and swirled like they were caught in a breeze. It made Jason a bit nervous, knowing that she had that kind of power at her fingertips and that she hadn’t intentionally called forth the shadows. They had come because her emotions had shifted. Storms sometimes did that with him when his emotions got out of hand but Nico’s face was carefully schooled into a blank expression. No hint of what she was feeling showed on her face but the twinkle that had been present moments before was gone entirely leaving her eyes looking like deep pits. Most of Camp Jupiter thought of her as a harmless traveler but Jason had seen different, as he was sure Hazel had as well. Hazel looked at her sister with the kind of awe and caution one used when examining a bomb, unsure of when or even if it would explode and kill everyone around it. Without looking up from the shadows slowly lacing around her fingers she spoke. 

“Goodnight Praetor.” With that she sank into the shadows and vanished taking the oppressive feeling the darkness had brought with her. Jason shook his head. He had no idea what he’d said wrong. He sighed looking back out over the city one more time before turning and walking back into the villa. He paused to say goodnight to Reyna and plan the next morning’s patrols before he headed off to bed. He entered his spacious room and closed the door behind him before he noticed the figure dressed in an elegant toga standing in his window, a goatskin cloak hanging from her shoulders. He’d seen her before, she was his patron after all but it never meant anything good. He bowed and she spoke.

“It is time I make my move. The sides of this family have been divided far too long. Pluto’s gambit can only go so far if his daughter refuses to become a true member of either camp. Hades children, ever the loners. Though I suppose that is partially the fault of the daughter of Poseidon and Venus’s son. Cupid does love to stir up trouble.” Jason looked up confused. 

“Hades? Poseidon?” Juno nodded. 

“You will understand soon. Much is happening throughout the world and I fear I may not have made this move soon enough. But the bridge between the Greeks and Romans must be forged. So, I will forge it with the lightning and the sea. Do not fail me Jason Grace.” Jason’s vision went white.

He woke up in the backseat of a school bus, not sure where he was, holding hands with a girl he didn’t know.


	28. Memories: Regained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes memory is pleasant, sometimes it's better to forget.

Jason blinked up at the white celling above him. There was a feeling of comfort surrounding him. The empty feeling he’d had ever since he woke up on the school bus with no memories of who he was had finally vanished. Contentment had replaced it and a feeling a being whole at last. Someone was holding his hand and he turned his head and smiled at Piper who launched herself into his arms. He laughed and caught her planting a kiss on her lips. An exaggerated gagging sound drew his attention to Leo who was standing behind the chair Piper had been sitting in. The mechanic smiled wide and held up his hand for a high five. Jason obliged then pulled his best friend into a hug, ruffling his hair as the Latino laughed. Then Jason spotted the figure in the next bed over. 

Nico would have looked peaceful if not for the tears streaming from her closed eyes. Will was sitting by her side, her fingers intertwined with Nico’s. She was whipping away her own tears as the daughter of Hades muttered in Italian. Jason sat up abruptly his arm wrapping around Piper to make sure she didn’t fall.

“What happened?!” The last thing he remembered was standing in the Hades cabin drinking the vial of water. He had no idea why Nico was in the infirmary, crying in her sleep with her girlfriend sitting by her side seemingly unable to wake her. Piper laid a hand on his shoulder and explained the appearance of the goddess of memory in Nico’s cabin. 

“So, she’s got her memories back?” Leo shrugged. 

“We don’t know, she hasn’t woken up yet. How are you feeling? Got your memories back?” Jason nodded. 

“Yeah. I got them back.” Piper pecked him on the cheek as one Will’s sisters peeked in and smiled at them before giving Jason a quick checkup and pronouncing him good to go whenever he wanted to. Instead of leaving Jason plopped himself down in the chair next to Will. 

“Any ideas why she hasn’t woken up?” Will didn’t look up from her girlfriend as she spoke. 

“Well you had regained some of your memories already so it was just bits and pieces you needed to recover. She was washed in the Lethe, she didn’t have anything of her memories besides what she has been told about her past.” Jason’s hands clenched into fists. He knew that Nico was from the nineteen forties and her sister Bianca had died long before he could meet her. There had been no one who could share secrets of her past except her father and somehow Jason had a feeling that Hades had been less than forthcoming with information. Nico muttered something else in Italian. 

“I didn’t know she spoke Italian.” Jason commented as Piper and Leo settled around them, clearly none of them were going to be leaving until they were sure Nico was alright.

“She’s actually a native Italian, she was born in Italy. But I’ve never heard her speak it before. I’ve heard her accent get pretty heavy though. When she gets excited about something she gets this really heavy Italian accent and has problems pronouncing my name right. She says it like Wheel instead of Will.” Piper chuckled as Will grinned down at her girlfriend. They were quiet for a while waiting. It was almost an hour before Nico woke up. Leo had retrieved the cards from the Hephaestus cabin and started another round of BS, including Will this time though she wasn’t very interested in the game. But it was her turn when Nico sat up and rubbed at her eyes. Will dropped her cards and leapt into Nico’s arms. Leo glanced down at the fallen cards. 

“I knew you were lying!” Will’s laugh was muffled in Nico’s hair. Nico rubbed her girlfriends back and pulled her in for a kiss. Piper grinned wide, Jason averted his eyes and Leo wolf whistled. The mechanic was promptly knocked off his feet by his own shadow. Nico chuckled as Will scowled and reprimanded her for using her powers. 

“I know, mio caro. I know, I’ll stop. I promise.” Will was checking over Nico’s vitals and looked up interested. 

“What does that mean?” Nico blushed bright red and tried to hide her face in her hands but Will was still holding one of them taking her pulse. Jason couldn’t hold in a snort of laughter. Nico glared. Piper smiled. Will still looked a little concerned. 

“Well you seem alright. How do you feel?” Nico stared down at her hands.

“A bit overwhelmed. It’s a lot of information. And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to unsee what happened to my mother. But I think I’ll be alright.” Will pulled Nico into another hug. Nico buried her face into Wills shoulder. For a few minutes, they just stayed there holding each other.


	29. Runaway: Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico gains a sword and learns a few things.

Nico stared at the crowned ghost in front of her. She blinked a few times. Words seemed to have disappeared from her for a moment so she cleared her throat. 

“I’m sorry what?” Minos’s smile was understanding but not quite kind. He stepped over to her chair and patted her arm. It was like a soft breeze was blowing over it. Slight pressure but no sensation from the ghosts form. 

“I realize this can all be very confusing, but that’s why your father sent me to you. I am an excellent teacher and had many daughters of my own when I was alive.” Nico skimmed her memory and frowned. 

“Wait didn’t your daughters kill you?” She thought she saw a flash of pure rage cross Minos’s face but it was gone before she could be sure. He nodded. 

“It is true, but they were not in their right minds, poisoned against me by one of my enemies. I would not fight back against my own flesh and blood. It was unfortunate but it is in the distant past. All but forgotten. I am here now to help you. Would you like to begin?” Nico frowned. 

“I’m still caught on the whole daughter of Hades thing. I thought the big three weren’t supposed to have children. I mean not that two of the three have followed that rule.” Nico frowned remembering Thalia who had been kind but a horrible driver, and Percy who had been everything a hero should be, up until she’d broken her promise. The shadows around her roiled. Minos clapped appreciatively. Nico’s mind snapped back to the present and the shadows settled back down. 

“There is no denying your heritage. If you weren’t a child of Hades you would not have made it here. You needed a place to go, so the doors of Orpheus appeared for you, they have not done that in years.” Nico frowned.

“Orpheus, you mean the guy who tried to bring his love back right?” Minos nodded. 

“That is correct, I must say for only having been at Camp Half Blood for a week or two you are well versed in your mythology.” Nico frowned, remembering the dropped statue Bianca had died for. She wondered what Percy would do with it since Nico had rejected it. Then her mind whipped back around to Orpheus. What if… She turned back to Minos.

“Is it possible to bring someone back from the dead?” Minos looked a bit taken aback but after a moment he nodded. 

“It is, but not the way Orpheus tried to. You would be able to do it.” Nico looked at him impatiently. 

“How?” Minos nodded slightly. 

“I could teach you but you must learn some other things first. Follow me.” Nico stood, determination in her veins. Bianca wasn’t gone for good. Nico would fix Percy’s mistake, she would see her sister again. 

Minos led her to a small set of stairs set into the rock behind the palace which Nico had to admit was beautiful. It was all black and gold so carefully detailed Nico would have to take a lifetime to take it all in. Her ghostly guide went down the stairs first. As they went deeper into the earth than Nico had ever thought was possible Minos spoke. 

“The first tool you will need is a weapon. You may choose any here or, if none of them seem right to you, you can have the ghosts forge you a new one.” He paused in a torchlit room lined in carefully organized weapons. It wasn’t like the weapons shed at Camp Half Blood. Theirs had been cluttered and significantly smaller. Some of the weapons here were modern, M16s and other guns of war lined one wall. Nico passed them by quickly. She didn’t like guns, she didn’t know why but she just didn’t. Instead she headed for the racks of swords and knives. Some of them were silver but Minos warned her away from those. 

“As a child of an elder god you will attract all types of monsters. Silver is only good against some of them, though it can be good to have a silver dagger at hand if you ever meet up with a werewolf, its unlikely.” Nico nodded and ran a finger along the hilt of a black sword. She frowned, there were no bronze weapons here.

“I thought only celestial bronze could kill monsters.” Minos snorted derisively. 

“Is that what those idiots at Camp Half Blood are teaching heroes these days?” He didn’t give Nico enough time to respond. “Celestial bronze will kill monster, quite effectively. But it’s not the only metal that will work. Some golds will fell them easily, though that’s even rarer than Celestial bronze, but the metal you will want to work with is Stygian Iron. It is forged by the dead and cooled in the river Styx, when properly forged. Some mortals and even godlings have tried to forge the raw iron we use but its never as strong if it’s not cooled in the Styx. A dangerous task, even for the dead.” Nico nodded and turned back to the weapons rack. She shook her head and stepped to the next rack. That was when she spotted it. It was a longsword, made entirely from Stygian Iron. At the hilt rested a near life size skull, empty eyes staring out at the room. 

She stepped over to it and hesitated before picking it up. The soft black leather wrapped around the hilt felt like it had been made to rest in her hands. Unlike the swords at Camp Half Blood this one didn’t feel awkward in her hands, on the contrary it felt like she’d been wielding this sword her whole life. Experimentally she spun it in her hands. It moved exactly the way she’d wanted it to. She grinned slightly. Minos nodded. 

“Excellent. I was expecting it to take much longer to find the right blade. That is an interesting choice.” He showed Nico over to a few shelves of belts that would hold her sword but there was no sheath for it. Nico slipped on the belt as Minos continued. “It is recently forged, which is rare. Our forges tend to make more guns for the solders that are dying every day in modern wars. Nasty noisy things if you ask me. The skulls on the hilt are real of course.” Nico frowned and flipped the sword over. Minos was right, a different set of deep black pits stared at her from the other side of the hilt.

“They were fused together from the bones of some hero or another. I don’t remember their names. It will make summoning the dead significantly easier. An excellent choice my lady.” Minos led her back out of the armory and instead of heading back to the palace he led her along the banks of the Styx, then across it to a crack in the wall. It was just big enough for Nico to squeeze through. Minos went first and Nico followed carefully behind him. The crack in the wall led them up and out of the underworld into a mountainous wooded area Nico had never seen before. She frowned at Minos, brushing a branch out of her way as she followed him. 

“Where are we?” Minos led her to a deserted cabin. It was cold out here so Nico slipped inside, finding a slightly rusted key under a false rock near the door. It took her a few tries to get the stove going but it heated up the house nicely. 

“We are in Colorado my lady. Not too far off the Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s the perfect place to train you. Your father owns this cabin, no living person uses it but sometimes Thanatos will visit it with younger spirits to help ease their way. He’s a sentimental man.” Nico frowned. Minos made that sound like it was a bad thing. But he continued before she could interject. 

“I’ll teach you how to control shadows, summon the dead, fight, slay monsters, and if you’re skilled enough in the shadows, how to travel through them.” Nico frowned.

“How does that work? Is it like falling into one shadow and out of another one?” Minos raised an eyebrow. 

“You have already shadow traveled?” Nico nodded.

“I think that’s how I got away from Camp. I was running through the woods and I tripped, then I was in an alley in New York. At least I think it was New York. It was so bright, even at night and there was all this technology I’ve never seen before.” Nico huffed frustratedly. “I just don’t understand what’s going on.” Minos nodded and sat down in the only chair in the room. 

“Well now that we are out of the underworld I can explain a bit more about the situation. The elder three gods did indeed make a deal to have no more mortal children after world war two. But you were not born of a broken promise. You were born in the nineteen thirties. That’s why everything is so different to how you remember it. Because it’s been almost seventy years since you’ve seen the outside world.” Nico sat down hard on the hardwood floor. Minos didn’t seem to notice her distress.

“The Lotus Hotel isn’t a place run by mortals. It is run by creatures you might recognize if you were to read the Odyssey. Most of the time they are referred to as the lotus eaters. Once you enter their domain you never want to leave, especially if you eat the food there. In that place time stands still, no god can interfere in what happens there, it’s why your father put you and your sister there. Because he knew you’d be safe there until he needed you.” Nico blinked at Minos. Seventy years. She’d missed seventy years as the world had moved on without her. She felt a sob bubble up in her throat and slapped a hand over her mouth to try and suppress it but it came out anyway, along with a stream of tears. There was so much that she would have missed in seventy years. The implications of this were too much to think about. Minos frowned at her. 

“That’s quite enough of that.” She blinked at him, the tears still flowing. “If you are to ever master your powers you must manage your emotions. Dry your eyes my lady. We have work to do.”


	30. Three Days: Some Other Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hazel and Nico have a late night talk.

Nico woke up before the sun rose on her second day in the infirmary. She had no idea why but blinking up at the ceiling she began to get something of an idea. There was a feeling in the room that could only mean one thing. She was being watched. But it wasn’t the feeling of a monster’s eyes on her, instead it was very similar to the comforting feeling she’d had during the night she spent in her father’s shrine with Hazel sleeping nearby. Looking around she realized why. There were three new people in intensive care, two asleep on the beds but not injured. Well she said people, Frank apparently felt much more comfortable sleeping on Hazel’s bed, an offence Nico would normally have eviscerated him for but as a bulldog he didn’t pose the same threat he did as a human. The eyes watching her were bright gold and smiled wide, gently hopping off her bed and rushing up to Nico as Frank the Bulldog stirred slightly. 

“Nico you had me so scared!” Hazel said throwing herself into her sister’s arms. Nico accepted the hug readily and smiled into her sisters hair. 

“I’m sorry Hazel. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Hazel nodded into her shoulder. 

“I know, but you have to take better care of yourself!” Nico nodded and pulled her sister a little closer, scooting over so Hazel could comfortably lay down next to her. Nico yawned and Hazel grinned slightly. 

“What?”

“You look like a kitten when you yawn. It’s kind of adorable.” Nico frowned sleepily at her sister. 

“I am not adorable. I am a scourge on humanity. I am a general of darkness and the Queen of Ghosts.” Hazel shook her head slightly. 

“I know you’re all of those things, but you’re also adorable. I’m sure there are other people that would agree. Like that nice Apollo girl, Will.” Nico sat bolt upright, face rapidly turning bright red. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Hazel sat up too, looking over to make sure Frank and Reyna were still asleep. They were. Hazel turned back to Nico. 

“Percy is bad at keeping secrets, and assumed I would already know.” Nico frowned at the floor. 

“I’m sorry.” Hazel pulled her sister into her arms again. 

“For what? Never apologize for who you are. Never. I wish you had been comfortable enough to tell me what was going on.” Nico shook her head. 

“It’s not that. I didn’t… I mean I was told from a very young age that it was something you hid or you died for. But now, it doesn’t seem to matter so much.” Hazel nodded. 

“It really doesn’t. I don’t think it ever mattered really. Did the color of my skin ever matter to you?” Nico shook her head violently. “Then why would who you love matter? I mean finding someone who treats you right matters, but if their a boy or a girl, that doesn’t matter.” Nico smiled at her sister and wrapped her in a tight hug. Hazel smiled and then pulled back and frowned. 

“You are skin and bones. We gotta make sure you get better before we talk about this more!” Nico smiled and lay back down. She fell asleep to the sound of Hazel fussing. 

 

 

Will found them when she came in to take over for Clark, both children of death fast asleep curled up under Nico’s blanket. A bulldog she didn’t remember letting into the infirmary was curled up by Hazel’s feet. Reyna was smiling at them. Hazel stirred absently petting the dog and checking on Nico before sitting up. She blushed bright red and smiled at Will. 

“Hello again.” Will grinned at her and gently laid a hand on Nico’s arm. As Will examined her patient Hazel carefully stood and gently shook the dog at the end of the bed. It huffed and blinked before smiling at Hazel and hopping down from the bed. Will was about to ask how Hazel had gotten a dog into camp when it shifted and almost seemed to blur at the edges. In moments Frank stood before Hazel in jeans and a t shirt stretching. Will blinked. 

“Ok that is ridiculously cool.” Frank grinned sheepishly but Will’s attention was pulled away from the new praetor by Nico turning over. Everyone in the room froze. But the daughter of Hades didn’t wake up. Instead she curled herself around Will’s arm where it rested on her bed. Will could practically feel her heart melting. Hazel let out an adoring coo and Reyna smiled softly. Frank grinned slightly wrapping an arm around Hazel. 

“I know your sister could kill me without ever actually moving but she is adorable.” Hazel rolled her eyes and pecked Frank on the cheek, blushing slightly. Frank grinned and Reyna sighed wistfully. There was a tap at the door. Will looked up, never moving her arm and spotted Rachel in the doorway. She looked a little haggard but other than the dark circles under her eyes she looked alright. She grinned at the three romans in the room. 

“Oh excellent, just who I was looking for. I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Rachel Elizabeth Dare, everyone calls me Rachel though.” Reyna bowed respectfully and Rachel went bright red. 

“You’re the Oracle of Delphi, Chiron told me about you. It is an honor.” Rachel turned the same color as her hair at Reyna’ words. Frank quickly bowed as well and Hazel followed their lead. 

“The honor is all mine Praetor.” She bowed back and Will spotted flecks of paint in her hair. She shook her head and turned her attention back to Nico, still sound asleep. She would need a few more hours under the sunlamps, fresh air wouldn’t hurt either. Will wasn’t so sure she was ready to let Nico out of the Infirmary yet though. Very gently she extricated her arm and went to check on Jake Mason. She pronounced him clear of infection and ready to return to his cabin. Rachel, who’d just finished a slightly hushed conversation with Reyna, offered to help him return to his cabin. Reyna volunteered to accompany her and they set off with Jake in tow hobbling on a pair of crutches, the casts on his arms expertly removed. There was a loud grunt from across the room and Will turned quickly as Nico sat bolt upright looking sleepy and slightly confused.

“That shouldn’t be possible.” Will blinked at her Hazel stepped forwards looking concerned. Frank looked confused. Nico hopped out of the bed and grumbled as she headed for the door. Will grabbed her arm.

“Where are you going? Your three days aren’t over.” Nico nodded. 

“Need to check something. Where’d you put my sword?” Will blinked at her. 

“The coat closet in the front room. Why do you…” But Nico had shaken off her arm and was walking out of intensive care, in her pajamas and fuzzy socks.


	31. Three Days: Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico summons a ghost.

Will raced after Nico, Hazel and Frank hot on her heels. They caught up to her at the coat closet where she’d just pulled out her sword. Will’s frown deepened. 

“You are not going out to fight anything! If you do you will die!” Nico frowned at Will. 

“Didn’t say I was fighting. If I’m right though we could have a serious problem, or a freaking miracle, on our hands.” Will frowned and Hazel laid a hand on her shoulder. 

“Trust her she knows what she’s talking about. If something’s wrong she’s almost always one of the first to know about it.” Nico nodded as she left the big house, still not wearing shoes. Will followed her. 

“Why are you following me sunshine?” Nico raised an eyebrow at the doctor as she caught up to her. 

“Making sure you don’t get yourself killed. Using your powers too much right now could kill you.” Nico nodded slightly. She headed off to the edge of the woods Will had no idea what she was looking for. She apparently found it in an empty clearing devoid of Dryad trees and pretty much anything else. She glared at the ground for a moment and then shook her head letting out a loud whistle. It wasn’t quite on the same level as Will’s sonic whistle but there was an edge to it that Will didn’t recognize. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea Nico?” Will jumped she hadn’t realized that Hazel and Frank had followed them into the woods. She couldn’t help but wonder what the other campers would think of this. But she didn’t get a chance to think about it long as the earth in front of Nico began to roil and two small skeletons dug their way out of the dirt. On closer inspection Will saw that they were kittens. She frowned slightly. It was kind of cute in a spooky way when Nico knelt down and pet the skeletons. They acted like regular cats, just without the flesh or fur. Nico cleared her throat and both kittens stopped frolicking and looked up at her. 

“I need a hole and a meal of some kind, with the drink.” The kittens looked at each other and one of them dove back into the earth. The other shifted slightly and Will let out a startled cry as it changed into a hulking figure. It was still a cat but it was much bigger, almost as tall as Nico herself with fangs that extended well beyond the rest of its teeth. Will blinked. 

“Is that a saber-tooth tiger!” The cat ignored the healer and turned, beginning to dig. Nico leaned on her sword. 

“She is yes.” Will blinked at the daughter of death. 

“You have pet skeletons that change shape?” Nico shrugged. 

“Just kittens to tigers. I’ve got five of them in my wing but I really only needed two this time.” 

“Wing? What wing?” Will really liked the way Nico blushed. She went from pale as death to cherry red in seconds. Want the healthiest of colors not the pale as death tone anyway. 

“My wing in the Palace of Hades.” She muttered it like she didn’t really want to say it but before Will could comment that Nico had a wing to herself in her godly parent’s palace the other cat returned. It was also in saber-tooth form and had a McDonalds bag in its mouth and a cup carefully balanced on its head. 

“You are not eating that, that food is crap!” Nico snorted slightly at Will as she took the items from the saber-tooth and scratched it on its jawbone. 

“It’s not for me sunshine.” Nico set the bag and drink down on the forest floor for a moment and Will looked over at Hazel who shrugged. The first saber-tooth hopped out of the hole it had dug and shook the dirt off its bones. Nico smiled and thanked them. They both curled up near the grave like hole as Nico unwrapped the sandwich and dumped the drink into the grave. Dark Latin words curled around her tongue like smoke and in moments the grave was bubbling. Then she spoke a name.

“Leo Valdez.” The grave bubbled again and a soft hissing sounded as a figure rose from the ground and stepped to the grave drinking deep from the concoction inside. It wasn’t Leo though. Nico leveled her sword at the figure as it became somewhat more solid. 

“Name yourself, it was not you I called for.” Her tone was calm but deadly, promising retribution for disobedience. The figure straightened and was revealed to be a woman of around twenty maybe thirty. Ethnicity was nearly impossible to tell as she was not in color, instead she was a bright pearlescent silver, but she looked familiar to everyone here but Will, who hadn’t known Leo very well. 

“No my lady, but it was my son you called for.” Nico relaxed slightly. She was familiar with what had happened to Esperanza Valdez, killed to set off a series of events that would eventually lead Leo to Camp and to the destruction of Gaia. She would not be here if Leo had been available. But Nico had already known that there was a very real probability that he wouldn’t be. Hazel stepped forwards slightly. 

“You’re Leo’s mom?” The spirit smiled at her slightly and nodded. 

“I am my lady.” The specter turned back to Nico. “I regret to inform you that my son is not available you grace.” Nico smiled slightly and Will thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest. 

“You don’t regret that.” The specter smiled wide. 

“I do not really regret it your grace, but I thought it would be the most respectful way to phrase it.” Nico snorted slightly, her version of a laugh as far as Will had heard it anyway. 

“I would appreciate your candor more Miss Valdez. Do you have any idea why he’s not available?” Esperanza shook her head. 

“I do not, but I am quite glad of it.” Nico nodded and the specter turned again to Hazel and Frank. “Thank you for being there for my son. For being his friend. All of you.” She blinked silver eyes at Will for a moment, slightly confused. Nico cleared her throat.

“I don’t think my doctor here knew Leo.” The tone in her voice stated that there would be no need to look at Will anymore, or there would be consequences. The woman nodded. “That will be all Miss Valdez. Thank you.” Hazel stepped forwards as the specter began to fade. 

“You raised an amazing person Miss Valdez.” Nico and Frank nodded and Esperanza smiled wide at them, speaking a blessing in Spanish as she vanished. Nico sighed and Will turned to her. 

“The Hades was that?” The grave was still bubbling sluggishly. 

“Confirmation.” 

“Of?” 

“The fact that Leo isn’t dead.” Hazel stared at her sister as the two saber-tooth’s approached the Italian demanding to be petted in hoarse but soft purrs.


	32. Runaway: Powers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico makes an unplanned trip.

Nico rolled and swore as she felt the axe pass right next to her. It buried itself into the ground and she managed to right herself. A voice called from the edge of the clearing.

“Set your stance. He’s strong, you can be stronger.” She did as she was told and set her feet. The skeleton yanked the axe out of the ground and swung it at her head. Nico raised her sword and stopped the axe cold. She grunted with effort an slashed back, sending the axe flying and slicing the head off the skeleton in one fell swoop. She panted as one of the two figures to the side of the clearing clapped. 

“Very good my lady. You are progressing well.” Nico nodded and took a few steps to the side and fished a bottle of water out of the small Styrofoam cooler that sat near where Minos floated slightly. Another ghostly figure stood near him. 

“His majesty is quite right my lady. You are quite skilled.” The figure was dressed in old style armor. He had a cloak hanging from one shoulder and was smiling at Nico. “I am honored to offer my assistance to the daughter of Hades.” 

“Yes, yes Peleus, you’ve been quite helpful. Begone now.” Minos’ crown flared and Peleus bowed to Nico and Minos as he began to vanish. 

“Thank you!” Nico called out to the vanishing figure and caught him smiling as he vanished completely. Minos frowned at her. 

“You don’t need to thank your servants. It’s a waste of time. But you seem to be much more prepared for what we must do to find Daedalus. We just need to get to an entrance of the Labyrinth.” Nico nodded at Minos. She had decided that the best soul to trade for her sister was a brilliant one that had avoided death for so long. 

“Sounds like a plan, and you’re sure you know your way through the labyrinth?” Minos chuckled at Nico’s question like it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. 

“I commissioned it from the traitorous spawn in the first place. I know my way through it.” Minos straightened slightly recomposing himself. “If I remember correctly the nearest entrance is in Denver. The fastest way to get there is shadow travel.” 

Nico frowned. She hadn’t shadow traveled since she’d escaped Camp, and even then she hadn’t really known what she was doing. Minos seemed to sense her trepidation. 

“You have done it before, you will do it again. Without that power there isn’t much separating you from other Demigods.” Nico bristled. Minos had made it clear to her early on that Hades would only truly accept her if she distinguished herself. Brining Bianca back to life would be a step in the right direction, but the most powerful children of Hades had powers like shadow manipulation and shadow travel. She had managed it once. She just had to manage it again. She could get used to it. She had to. 

Taking a deep breath she stepped out of the sunshine and into the shade under a tree and screamed as she immediately fell through the shadow. The last thing she saw was Minos’ face, caught between amusement and frustration. She tumbled through darkness, cold biting into her skin and screams echoing around her. She just wanted out, anywhere would do she needed to breathe and she couldn’t here. She let out a scream of her own and pitched forwards as her feet hit the ground hard and she was set completely off balance. She would have seen a rock rushing up to meet her if she had been able to get the shadows out of her eyes. Her head struck stone and she returned to darkness, though this time it was blissfully quiet. 

 

When she woke she was in a mostly white room, it was overly bright despite the lights being mostly off. She blamed the white walls, ceiling and floor. Her head was pounding and she was wearing a hospital gown. The sounds of voices outside did not sound familiar. It wasn’t a language she recognized. So not camp, she’d never been in the camp infirmary so she had no idea what it looked like. It defiantly wasn’t the underworld. It was too bright even though the world outside was dark. She carefully stood and checked the chart at the end of the bed. Unfortunately she couldn’t make heads or tails of it. All of the writing was in Chinese. Nico stared and blinked. She stepped over to the covered window and peaked out. The skyline was something she’d never seen, windows and buildings lit up. There was a click of a lock slipping out of place and Nico dreaded being found. She had no idea what would happen if they found her, she didn’t know where she was. She had no idea what had happened to her clothes or her sword all she knew was that her head hurt. She instinctively stepped back into the shadows. Her mind was racing too much to focus on travel though she just wanted to be hidden. 

The door swung open, revealing a tallish man with dark hair wearing a doctors coat. He looked at the bed and blinked. He looked around the room and frowned. He set the items in his arms down on the bed. Nico almost let out a sigh of relief. Her clothes now sat within her reach, her sword sitting beside it. The doctor looked around and frowned. His eyes passed right over her, but he didn’t seem to see her. Carefully she looked down and realized why. She was wrapped in shadows, blending into the shadow around her. She blinked, was this what Minos had meant when he’d talked about shadow manipulation?

The doctor turned back to the door and spoke. Nico focused on the clothes on the bed. She wasn’t sure if the shadows would keep her hidden if she moved but the bed was in shadow too. If she could get her clothes and her sword she could escape. As she focused on that the shadows around the clothes swallowed them along with the sword. They landed in front of her with a soft thump and a slight clatter. The doctor looked around but didn’t notice anything out of place. Nico took the risk of grabbing her clothes and quickly getting dressed. The doctor was speaking to a nurse who looked around the room then shook her head. 

Nico felt kind of bad, the doctor looked concerned but she needed to find Daedalus before he was killed another way. She took a deep breath and focused this time on Denver, she briefly shot a prayer to her father and thinking about it one to Hermes that she made it where she was actually trying to go this time. This time when she didn’t fall through the shadows she stepped through them. She had her eyes open this time in the crushing darkness but somehow it didn’t feel as crushing this time. This time she only stumbled as her feet hit pavement and a wave of tiredness overcame her. She staggered into a wall and swore in Greek. The sun was out here, so that was a step in the right direction. She heard people bustling around on the street to her left. There was snow still piled around and Nico shuddered slightly, hugging herself as she looked around. It took her a while to find a landmark that told her exactly where she was. When she did she smiled wide. 

“Denver art museum? Yes! Not in China anymore, gotta be careful about that next time.” A voice cleared its throat next to her and she jumped. Turning she half drew her sword before she spotted Minos. 

“China?” Nico nodded ignoring the looks being shot her way. They ranged from fear to sympathy. 

“China. Hit my head too, but I moved things with shadows!” Minos looked genuinely impressed as he lead the way down the street. 

“Oh is that so. Do you think you could do it again?” Nico nodded but she didn’t look to be paying attention to Minos, instead she was staring into the window of a vintage clothing shop. One of the dummies was wearing a deep brown aviator jacket with a white fur collar. Nico shivered slightly and shoved her hands into her pockets. Minos frowned. 

“If you need it, take it. Use the shadows.” 

“Stealing is wrong Minos.” Her teeth were beginning to chatter though. Minos shook his head, his devilish smile in place, Nico still wasn’t looking at him, there was no point in hiding it. 

“You are a Princess, a lady of the underworld, the only currently living child of Lord Hades. If you need it, take it. No one will notice. The mist is good at hiding these things.” Nico still didn’t look convinced. “You can’t bring your sister back if you freeze to death.” That did it. Nico frowned and nodded slightly before bringing her hands close together and concentrating. Minos smiled as the shadows around the display reached out and wrapped around the jacket, temporarily staining the fabric black before it vanished and reformed in Nico’s hands. She glanced around. No one had seen her, she slipped the coat on over her black shirt and zipped it all the way up before stuffing her hands in the pockets and nodding to Minos who began to lead her back down the sidewalk. Secretly he smiled to himself. Perhaps it would be easier than he thought to lure this demigod away from the gods. If he could get her on the titans side he would be richly rewarded and he could watch Daedalus be tortured for all eternity.


	33. Helping A Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico has a bad feeling, and of course she's right.

“Why are we doing this again?” Nico asked as she hopped off Mrs. O’Leary. Jason snickered at the giant dog whose tail was beating out a tattoo on a nearby dumpster bending it nearly in half. 

“Percy invited us remember.” Nico shook her head. 

“It’s a bad idea for the three of us to be in the same spot. Add Arthur to that and we’re bound to attract something nasty.” Jason nodded slipping his coin out of his pocket. 

“That would be why we came armed.” Nico rolled her eyes as she checked her sword on her belt. Jason frowned slightly. 

“You know I’ve always wondered what the mist turns that into.” Jason gestured at the sword at Nico’s hip. Nico shrugged. 

“No idea. Baseball bat maybe? Heard someone call it a satchel once which makes no sense but I’ll live with it.” Nico frowned shoving her hair out of her face. “Better safe than sorry though.” She pulled her sword, it sat on a simple loop of black leather at her side, no real sheath to be seen, and shoved it into the shadows where it disappeared. 

“Has Will cleared you for that yet?” Jason asked a small smile on his face. Nico rolled her eyes. 

“She’s not the boss of me.” Jason laughed as they stepped out of the alley. They were across the street from Percy’s high school. Goode was a nice looking place but Nico didn’t like schools. The last one she’d been to was Westover Hall. Malcom from the Athena cabin had nearly had a heart attack when he’d learned that she was from the forties and had only been to a year of school in the modern era. He’d taken it on himself to teach her what she’d missed during her time in the Lotus Hotel and Casino. Between that and Will, Cecil and Lou Ellen, Nico wasn’t sure when she’d made so many friends. The seven all kept up with her too. She rolled her eyes at a joke Jason made as they headed into the gym. It was an older building, the floor was on a mechanism so that the gym floor could be pulled back to reveal a large Olympic sized swimming pool. The bleachers were on the edge of the pool and the swim team was waiting near the entrance of the locker room. Percy beamed at them looking more relaxed than any of the other girls on the team. 

“You came!” She bounced over to them and wrapped Jason in a hug. Her teammates muttered about a boyfriend and Nico rolled her eyes before she was wrapped in a slightly salty smelling hug. She patted Percy awkwardly on the back. Percy pulled away and grinned before dragging them both over to the team. “Guys! These are my cousins, Nico and Jason!” Nico rolled her eyes but felt a small smile pulling at her lips. One of the other girls on the team, a shorter wiry haired girl, looked between the three of them.

“Ok I buy you two being cousins.” She pointed from Percy to Nico. “But he looks like a Greek god. Come on.” Percy rolled her eyes. One of the other girls leaned in and spoke as well.

“Are you trying to tell me you haven’t been paying attention to how cut Percy is? Seriously, built!” The first girl nodded as Nico frowned. They were speaking English but she had no idea what they were saying. Jason took pity on her.

“Means she has some nice muscles. Well built muscles. Built. And Cut is basically the same thing, like cut from marble.” Nico nodded slightly. One of the girls on the team raised an eyebrow at them but Percy stepped in.

“Nico’s homeschooled. Doesn’t get out a lot.” One of the boys on the team, who had already shed his shirt winked at Nico. 

“Pretty girl like you should get out more.” Percy and Jason bristled but Nico spoke. 

“Get within four feet of me and I break your hands.” The team blinked at her and she nodded to Percy before stepping over to the bleachers and finding Sally Jackson in the crowd. Arthur was sitting next to her and grinned at Nico highfiving her and hugging Jason. Sally held her arms open and Nico only hesitated for a moment before hugging Sally back. She was warm and still smelled like candy despite not having worked at the candy store for quite some time. 

“Do we think Percy is going to cheat?” Jason asked. Nico rolled her eyes looking around at the crowd. 

“Do we think there’s gonna be an attack.” That wasn’t really a question. She was certain something was going to go wrong. She hated being in groups, demigods or human. Though at least with large groups of Demigods they all knew something was going to happen. Nico frowned. Something smelled wrong. Not like monsters. But like goats. She tapped Arthur on the shoulder.

“Do we have any satyrs here?” Arthur shrugged. 

“Grover would know, but he’s not here. I don’t know. Why?” 

“Take a deep breath.” Arthur did as he was told and frowned. 

“Can you find them?” Nico nodded. 

“Should be easy to track. Look for the life sign without a soul. Satyrs aren’t hard to find not in a crowd of people demigods make it difficult.” Arthur nodded and made to stand. Nico shook her head. 

“I got this. Be there for Percy, it’s her first meet after all. If she’s not cheating she’ll need you.” Arthur grinned at Nico who slipped off with a word to Jason. She slipped out of the gym and took a deep breath. The smell was slightly stronger here. Percy wouldn’t have noticed. Percy was the worst at spotting magical anything. The girl was an amazing fighter but it was a wonder that she hadn’t been killed by something she couldn’t see coming. Nico glanced around, there was no one else here, she’d slipped into an unlocked classroom off the hallway so no one would spot her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing. If she let her mind wander she could feel every person in the building, and the few next to it. So far her range was about a block wide. 

Sensing life and sensing souls wasn’t quite the same feeling. Sensing life was like sensing drums beating through her feet. It was a constant thump in the earth, put off by everything that had a heartbeat. But sensing souls was… Well it was almost like having a filter over her vision. Everything that had a soul glowed. It had gotten easier to turn off throughout the years but when she was younger she had just thought that was how people were, glowing from within. Satyrs didn’t have that, because Satyrs had no souls. They had the dull green aura of nature spirits. That was what Nico was looking for now. And she found it quickly enough. Two souls and the green aura, behind the school. She opened her eyes and headed off. 

She slid into the shadows as she carefully opened the back door of the school without a sound. The door opened to an open area, a playground of sorts, but it was disused. Or at least it looked like it. One of the swings was hanging from a single chain and the merry go round was tilted to the point that turning it would have been extremely difficult. Sitting on the merry go round was a boy she recognized. She relaxed slightly. It was Thomas Greengrass. He was a searcher, she’d met him during the quest to defeat python. He and two demigods he’d found had been captured by the great snakes forces, set to be tortured to death as it suited them. She and Lou Ellen had broken them out before she and Will had defeated the snake, almost dying in the process. She let the shadows around her relax and stepped off the stairs of the school. 

 

Thomas noticed her first and smiled waving. Then he frowned. The two teens he was talking to turned. They had to be twins. Both had the bright yellow hair and big blue eyes Nico had come to associate with the Apollo cabin. They were both boys and Nico waved at Thomas. But she was frowning again. That made six demigods in the same place. That was not going to be god. 

As if on cue something rustled in the alley to the left of the playground. A deep growl rolled out of the darkness, a growl Nico recognized very well. She pulled her sword out of the shadows and leapt forwards landing between the merry go round and the alley just as a hellhound the size of a rhino barreled out of the darkness straight for them. Nico twirled her blade as both boys screamed and Thomas bayed in fear. She leapt to meet the charge, her sword cleaving through the monster like a hot knife through butter. It burst like a popped balloon, dust raining. She landed and turned to Thomas. 

“Thomas. Good to see you again.” Thomas nodded, adjusting his overly large beanie. 

“You are fantastic Miss Di Angelo! Seriously though why are you here, is something wrong at Camp?” The twins looked very confused. 

“No. It’s the swim meet today. Percy invited Arthur, Jason and I to watch. I told them it was a bad idea. Too many in one place isn’t a good idea.” Thomas blinked. 

“Percy Jackson? She goes to school here?” Nico nodded. 

“Junior… I think she might be a senior. I don’t really understand that whole system, never really did though to be fair I was eleven when I last went to school.” One of the twins cleared their throat the other looked too stunned.

“Ok great that you two are old friends and all but what the fuck just happened!” This twin was dressed in a lime green t shirt and bright blue jean shorts. Nico slipped her sword into the loop on her belt where it belonged. 

“That wont be the last one. We need to get out of here. Have you told them yet?” Thomas shook his head. 

“They weren’t ready yet, but I guess we have no choice now.” Nico nodded. 

“Walk and talk. Quickly please.” She gestured down the street and Thomas ushered the twins down the street. Nico frowned and pulled the phone Leo had given her out of her pocket. A few of the kids at camp had laughed at the design. It flipped open but had a touch screen on both sides instead of keys. Leo claimed the design was harder to break even though his looked like a regular smart phone. She scrolled through her contacts and found the one she was looking for. She tapped it and the second twin, the one who hadn’t spoken yet, blinked at her. 

“Who the heck is Stormskull?” Nico shook her head as the line rang. He picked up in a few rings. 

“Nico where are you? The whole building was shaking after that growl. What happened?” 

“Rouge hellhound. We’re fine Jason. It’s a satyr I know and two halfbloods. I’m gonna get them to camp. Let Percy know that A, I was right, and B Im sorry for missing the meet.” 

“Alright. Just be careful and no shadow travel or I’m telling Will.” Nico frowned at his words. 

“I wouldn’t do that to new ones unless it was life and death. I’ll talk to you later Jason.” They rung off and Nico flipped the phone closed. 

“I thought phones were dangerous.” Thomas said looking around nervously. He was chewing on the collar of his shirt. Nico tugged it out of his mouth. 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full. And normally yes but these are special made, Valdez brand. He calls the thing that keeps the monsters from hearing the Hephaestus filter. But they can only be made at camp, he claims he can get them to fit any phone but I’ve seen him try, he cant help but upgrade them. The others are better about just fitting the filter.” Thomas nodded. The twins looked beyond confused. Nico whistled and a cab pulled to a halt. She held the door open for them. Thomas nodded to them and they slipped into the back of the cab. Thomas was about to tell the driver the address for camp but Nico interjected with a coffee shop in little Italy. The driver nodded and Nico shook her head at the satyrs questioning glance. He nodded and the cab pulled into New York traffic.


	34. Helping A Friend: Explinations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico properly introduces herself.

“Nico this is Zane and this is Paul Sol.” Nico raised an eyebrow at Thomas. 

“Sol, as in sun.” Thomas shrugged. Nico shook her head, Apollo was not at all subtle. Nico blew a strand of hair out of her face, releasing a puff of monster dust from her hair at the same time. Zane, the one in the green, shook his head. 

“Sol as in sun yeah. What does it matter? Are you two gonna tell us what’s going on?” Nico nodded.

“I need coffee first. This isn’t a talk I’ve been involved in before.” Thomas nodded and the twins kept looking confused. The cab pulled up to the café and Nico pulled a black wallet out of her jeans and ran a black card through the reader on the back of the front seat. She typed in a tip and Paul frowned. 

“You just gave him a twenty dollar tip.” Nico nodded. 

“Yeah I did.” She said no more as they stepped into the café. The woman behind the counter smiled wide and greeted Nico in Italian. Nico answered in kind and ordered a large coffee before turning to the others. “My treat order whatever.” 

Thomas took her up on the offer immediately and Zane and Paul ordered hot chocolates and some cookies that looked good. They settled down around a table in the corner of the café and Nico sipped her coffee before she spoke. 

“So biggest question. Does their mother know?” Thomas nodded. Nico smiled. “Good that makes it easier. Twins though, that’s rare. Even the Stoll brothers aren’t twins.” Thomas nodded. Paul cut across them. 

“Ok miss mysterious. You promised us answers. What the fuck was with the giant rabid rottweiler!” Nico frowned. 

“Don’t assume rottweilers are evil, one of my dogs is a rottweiler. Well I say my dog he’s my dad’s but I get to play with him.” Thomas blinked. 

“Are you talking about Cerberus?” Nico nodded sipping her coffee. “Cerberus is a rottweiler?” Nico nodded again. Zane held up a hand. 

“Cerberus, the guardian dog of the underworld. He’s your dad’s dog.” Nico sighed. 

“To answer your first question, the thing that attacked us was a rouge hellhound from the fields of punishment in the underworld. They manage to slip their chains from time to time. Sometimes they’re let loose. Not that one though. That one definitely slipped its collar.” The twins stared at her. Thomas sipped his espresso. 

“How can you tell?” 

“They don’t go after me, unless their rouge. Most hellhounds just want to play. At least with me… Though that could be because I insist on playing with them every now and again anyway.” Thomas laughed. Nico raised an eyebrow.

“I just always pictured you as a cat person.” He shrugged, Nico snorted. 

“You sound like Will.” A smile, a real one, graced the face of the daughter of Hades. Thomas was stunned. She was amazingly pretty when she was happy. But she sobered quickly. “Ok so I’m sure you have questions but let me forestall them with some answers. Greek legends, heroes, monsters, gods, satyrs, the underworld. All true.” She sipped her coffee again before she continued. “I’m guessing you’ve never met your father.” The twins nodded in unison. 

“How could you possibly know that?” Paul asked. Nico sized them up, they looked to be about eleven maybe twelve. About the right age to go to camp. 

“Because ninety nine percent of us don’t. I won’t say all cause that’s very untrue now a days but hey it’s not always all it’s cracked up to be trust me. But the reason you’ve never met him is because he isn’t human.” She sipped her coffee and snagged one of the muffins she’d bought. She twirled a butter knife in her hand before slicing off the top of the muffin with ease and spreading a pad of butter across the inside of the top. She set the knife down and bit into the top handing the bottom to Thomas. 

“If he’s not human… What is he?” 

“A god.” Nico said it like it was obvious, Thomas bit into the bottom of the muffin without taking off the wrapper. Paul stared at him.

“That is insanely bad for you.” Thomas brayed slightly. 

“Trust me, paper is pretty good. Tin is better but hey.” Nico rolled her eyes. 

“Satyrs.” Zane stared at her, then back at Thomas. 

“Oh my god…ss. I guess. Wait if Cerberus is your dad’s dog that would make you…”

“Nicolla Di Angelo, Daughter of Hades. Thomas here is a satyr, child of the wild god Pan, servant of Dionisius.” The satyr glanced around nervously. 

“You know you shouldn’t be using those names out here right?” 

“Right sorry forgot about that. I didn’t really worry about that while I was on my own. They don’t have as much power in the underworld.” Thomas nodded to her.

“That actually brings us to a point I wanted to make. You guys have a choice. There’s a place, a camp that trains demigods, like you two, like Nico. We can take you there. Or you can stay in the city.” Nico nodded. 

“It is dangerous though, lets be clear about that. Now that you know what you are they can figure it out easier. They will find you. The more demigods in one place the more likely there will be an attack. You could stay safe in the city but it’s not a guarantee.” She took another sip of her coffee. “If you decide to stay in the city might I suggest avoiding swim meets.” They both raised identical eyebrows at her. 

“The daughter of Poseidon is on your schools swim team. She likes inviting friends and family to watch. Even though I told her it was a bad idea.” Paul and Zane stared at her. 

“Isnt that cheating?” Nico snorted at Paul. 

“That’s what I said.” Before they could continue though Thomas stiffened. Nico immediately got serious. 

“What is it?” 

“I smell monsters.” Nico nodded and gestured for them to follow her. She left the table alone and waved at the woman behind the counter as she rushed them out of the café. She really liked this place, she’d rather it not get trashed.


	35. Helping A Friend: Close Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico explains her past to the Twins.

Even Nico was starting to smell the problem. It was tart, like garbage and rotting meat, and burning trash. It was getting closer, Nico pulled her sword and whirled it. 

“Keep behind me.” They were close to the docs but shops still lined the streets and Thomas sniffed the air. 

“Do you smell Donuts?” All three of the demigods took a deep breath and nodded. Nico’s eyes narrowed. She looked around and saw the source of the smell, or at least the smell of donuts. A bright pink awning proclaimed in big block letters ‘Monster Donuts’. Nico swore.

“Run!” She heard the roar before she saw the creature. The roar was in stereo because the creature had seven heads. Thomas pushed Zane and Paul in front of them. 

“Can you beat it?” Nico shook her head. 

“Not unless you happen to have a flame thrower on you! Or a spare Leo Valdez in a pocket.” Nico swore in Ancient Greek as they skidded into a corner into a dead end alley. The Hydra was foaming from three mouths and smoking from the other four but a two story brick wall stood between them and freedom. But luck of all luck they stood in the shadow of it as the Hydra rounded the corner roaring and spitting. 

“Grab hold of me and don’t let go, no matter what.” Thomas grabbed hold of her arm, Zane seized her hand and Paul wrapped her in a hug from behind. She shot a quick prayer to her father and all four of them dropped through the shadows.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Thomas swore he was going to die. First the Hydra now the cold deep shadows and the screaming. His only anchor was the frigid arm of the daughter of Hades. Just when he was sure his face was going to be peeled off by the speed of their movement his feet met solid ground again and light returned to his world. He recognized his surroundings immediately. They were in the shade of the big house. The strawberry field stretched off to his left. Several year round campers were tending the fields with some of the older satyrs. Thomas stumbled as the arm in his hands became heavy. He glanced around and saw that Paul and Zane had done as they were told they looked a little shaken but Nico looked worst off. She had gone limp as a rag doll in their arms, her eyes closed her nose beginning to drip blood. Thomas bayed in fear and caught the attention of someone standing on the porch of the Big house. He was relieved to see Wilhelmina Solace vault over the railing and race in their direction. She swore when she spotted who they were supporting, barely, it was getting quite hard to keep ahold of the daughter of Hades. She seemed to be shifting in and out of existence. One minute solid the next whispy and shadowy. Will’s hands were already glowing as she reached them. She cupped Nico’s face. 

“Come on darling, don’t give up on me now.” Nico stirred slightly finally staying solid. She groaned but didn’t wake up. Will held out her hands and scooped her girlfriend out of their arms. She stared at them and spoke sharply to Thomas. “Was it life and death?” Thomas nodded. 

“There was a hydra, she got us here. Is she alright?” Will nodded. 

“She got here in time. She’s always does things like this. Welcome to Camp Half Blood, I need to get the princess of darkness her to the infirmary.” Without another word she strode back off to the Big House. Thomas cleared his throat. Zane frowned after Will. 

“Is she gonna be ok?” Paul sounded nervous. Thomas patted him on the shoulder.

“Will is the best healer we’ve got. She’ll take extra care of Nico though.” Zane raised an eyebrow at that. 

“Why?” Thomas smiled.

“Because they’re dating.” 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nico woke up warm but couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Warm meant one of two things. Either she was dead which wasn’t the worst possible outcome, she guessed. It just meant she’d be doing the job she’d been avoiding since the end of the war with Gaia for the rest of eternity. Or it meant that Will was with her. Will was the literal sun for her, the real one hurt and burned but Will healed and warmed and soothed and helped. She really hoped it was the second option especially when someone’s hand stroked through her hair. She turned into the hand and heard a voice she absolutely loved hearing. 

“Come on darling. Wake up for me.” Nico blinked and grinned at the face of Will Solace. 

“Hi sunshine.” Will grinned glowing slightly. Then Nico remembered what had been going on. She shot upright and Will stopped her. 

“You’re ok, they’re ok. You brought me twin brothers. Thomas is showing them the orientation video.” Nico flopped back and grinned. 

“Great. Fuck Monster Donuts.” Will laughed and Nico hid her own smile in her arm as she flung it across her face. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that day Jason arrived back at camp, riding tempest and came to check on Nico who had been confined under the sunlamps again. He had scolded her for shadow traveling but admitted that it had been the only way out with three unarmed, unprepared compatriots. 

“If Leo’s up for it I might go on a little scouting trip to shut down at least that branch of Monster Donuts.” Nico grinned. 

“Just light the heads fast, and try not to tear up New York, you know how Percy feels about that town.” Jason laughed and told her everything she’d missed about the swim meet which of course Goode had won with what looked like barely an effort. Jason wasn’t sure if Percy had been cheating or not but she didn’t seem to need to come up for air as much as her fellow swimmers so he thought there might be some tomfoolery going on. Nico snorted as Will walked in trailed by Zane and Paul, both in camp shirts now.

“Trying to steal my girl there Grace?” Will teased and Nico outright laughed at that, Will grinned wide a light glow surrounding her for a moment. Zane raised an eyebrow. 

“Do all Apollo children glow like that?” Jason shook his head and stood. 

“Nope, just Will, and only around Nico. I’m Jason son of Jupiter, well Zeus. Has Will gone into the whole Roman thing?” The twins shook their heads in unison. 

“Well here come with me I’ll explain.” He winked at Nico who flipped him off. He shook his head. “I am going to skin Leo for teaching you that.” Nico snorted.

“Good luck getting through the rest of the Hephaestus Cabin, they’re quite attached to their flighty brother!” She had to shout the last bit as Jason guided the newest Apollo campers to the living room to explain the Roman side of things. Will chuckled.

“They’re sweet. Their mom is a composer. No surprise. Don’t think I’ve heard anyone play the lyre like that since Kayla first got to camp.” Nico grinned as Will sat down next to her and started fussing. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Zane waited until they were out of earshot to speak.

“Nico is an entirely different person around Will. She laughs!” Jason nodded. 

“Yeah, she didn’t used to do that at all. Will’s been a literal and figurative godsend for Nico.” 

“She’s really nice, I had no idea we had other siblings. It’s kinda nice not being the only ones who see weird shit anymore.” Jason nodded at Paul.

“Believe me we all feel that way. I know I did.” Zane nodded. 

“Yeah Nico said something about the daughter of Poseidon went to our school, but there aren’t any children of Poseidon here. Why’s that?” Jason sighed. 

“World war two was basically a conflict between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side and the sons of Hades on the other. After the war was over the big three, that’s what we call the elder three gods, they made a pact to never have children again, well no demigods anyway. It worked for a while. But Zeus broke the oath first, twice actually. Had me and my older sister Thalia. You’ll see her around every so often she’s Artemis’ lieutenant now and immortal unless she falls in battle.” Jason took a seat in one of the armchairs and tossed a few cocktail wieners at a mounted leopard head. It snapped the snack out of the air and chewed happily. The twins blinked. 

“Best not to ask really it might just confuse you more. Anyway, Zeus broke the oath. Then Poseidon met Sally Jackson and broke it too, had Percy. Honestly I don’t blame him, she’s the nicest person ever. She’s always got her door open to demigods in need. So he broke the oath.” The leopard growled slightly. Jason picked up a few more wieners and tossed them at it. 

“Then Hades broke the oath?” Zane guessed. Paul was fascinated by the living leopard head and asked if he could feed him too. Jason handed him the plate. 

“Actually no.” Both twins stopped confused. 

“But she’s clearly younger than you at least.” Jason waved his hand in the air in a gesture that clearly meant sort of. 

“Believe it or not technically Nico is the oldest living demigod we know of, I think she’s like seventy… Maybe eighty. Will’s the only one who knows exactly.” Paul dropped the plate. Jason sighed. 

“Long story short Hades knew his children would be persecuted for the war, which was starting a little after Nico was born… She might be closer to ninety actually I’ve never asked. But anyway, Nico and her sister Bianca…” Jason went quiet for a moment. Zane was about to prod him to go on when a voice continued from the doorway. 

“Zeus murdered our mother trying to kill us.” The three of them looked up and saw Will and Nico in the doorway. Will had an arm wrapped around Nico. Jason’s eyes dipped to the shattered plate on the floor. “Something I never have nor will I ever blame you for Jason. You are not your father. You weren’t even a twinkle in your mother’s eye when this happened.” Will let out an involuntary chuckle. 

“I’m dating an old fogey.” Nico blushed bright red. 

“You said you didn’t mind…” Will held her close, the daughter of Hades fitting perfectly under her chin. 

“Believe me I don’t. Older women are more attractive.” Nico elbowed her slightly but there was a genuine smile on her face. She turned back to them making no move to escape her girlfriend. “Hades saved us, had the furies take us to the underworld and wiped our memories in the Lethe and stuck us in a magic Casino. Time doesn’t work the same way there. Around seventy years later he pulled us out again. Then Bianca joined the hunters and got killed on a quest.” Will held Nico a little tighter. 

“I found my sister Hazel, also a demigod in a different time situation, and now we’re here. Well I’m here, Hazel is at Camp Jupiter.” Nico turned in Will’s arms and hid her face in Will’s chest. The room was quiet as the daughter of death cuddled the daughter of the sun. A conch horn sounded. Will patted Nico on the back and they all headed out for dinner.


	36. Runaway: Into The Maze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico steps into the Labyrinth for the first time, a conversation takes place between some very important twins.

Nico looked at the wall in front of her skeptically. Night had fallen in earnest allowing Minos to fully form. Of course almost no one else could see him anyway. Mortals could sometimes feel ghosts but even clear sighted mortals had problems seeing them. The dead had a different effect on people than the mist did. Nico pulled a hair tie out of her pocket and sighed pulling back her long slightly curly hair. She was kind of glad she hadn’t seen a mirror since her time at camp. She had a distinct feeling that she would look far too much like her sister now to bear it. She pulled her hair into a messy bun. She should probably cut it but that wasn’t her biggest priority now. She’d been amazed when she first saw a girl with short hair but too nervous to talk to her. Percy’s hair was always up in a ponytail but it was long. Clarisse had kept hers up in a bandanna but one of the girls in the Hermes cabin had hair that didn’t even reach her shoulders. That wasn’t something that Nico had never seen, or at least she was pretty sure she hadn’t. She was figuring out that much of her childhood was a wash of white. The first thing she remembered was water on her face and an unfamiliar lady, one of the furies who’d rescued her, asking her if she knew her name. She shook herself out of her reverie.

“You’re sure?” Minos nodded. 

“Yes my lady. That is one of many entrances to the labyrinth running across America. It was once my labyrinth, I know it well but it has shifted far too much over the years. I do not know where the cursed inventor keeps his laboratory these days. We will need help before we can find the one we seek.” Nico fidgeted. 

“I’m still not sure about this. Murder isn’t the answer here.” Minos made a slightly frustrated noise. 

“I keep telling you, it’s not murder. It’s justice. By rights Daedalus should have died centuries ago. He’s not immortal. He’s a demigod who must at some point die. Everything comes to death in time, his is long past. And there is no other soul worthy of the exchange for your sister than a genius like no other.” At that Nico nodded. 

“That is probably the truest thing you’ve ever said.” Minos frowned at her as she continued to study the wall in front of her. 

“I have not lied to you my lady. I would never lie to you.” 

“Shut up.” Nico snapped it. Minos froze if she suspected him of treachery she could overpower him. Though she didn’t know it she was the strongest child of death he’d ever seen. That seemed to be a prevalent problem these days. He couldn’t help but wonder if the fates were making up for the imbalance of power by granting the only living children of the elder gods the powers any siblings of theirs would have had. If Bianca had lived they would have been a terrifying team, possibly more powerful than even the daughters of Zeus and Poseidon together. Nico sighed and Minos blinked. 

“It’s not anything I have against you. But after what Per… after the last promise someone made to me was broken I don’t think I’m going to trust anyone, or anything fully. Nothing against you personally.” Minos bowed slightly to hide his relief. 

“Of course my lady. A wise decision. May I suggest that we enter the maze, all you must do is press the mark of Daedalus.” Nico nodded and stepped up to the wall. It took her a second to find the Delta scratched into the brick. She pressed it and the wall cracked with blue light. Nico looked up at the full moon and sighed before slipping into the darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Elsewhere in a nearby park a silver clad huntress knelt in front of a young red haired girl wearing an intricate silver circlet.

“I am sorry my lady, she has entered the labyrinth. We can not track her from here.” Artemis nodded and pulled her huntress to her feet. She had been in her ranks for centuries, a close friend of Zoe Nightshade. She adjusted her silver jacket. “Are you sure about her parentage?” Artemis sighed. 

“Believe me I am sure. This mission I set you, you can tell no one of it. You have sworn on the river Styx of that. This conversation can go no further either.” The huntress nodded. 

“Of course my lady, I swear it upon the river Styx.” Thunder rumbled from the clear night sky. Artemis pulled a black scroll from her coat pocket. Unrolling it she handed it to the huntress. The handwriting on the scroll was wiry and in glistening red ink they very well may have been blood. The scroll read as follows,

‘Dearest Niece,

You and I have not known each other often though death too often claims your hunters, as you have claimed one of my daughters for your ranks. I respect her choice and will not beg her back from you, but I do beg a favor of you. Do not take both of my children. Though I know you could take both if you so wished, leave me my youngest. She is now my only demigod offspring. Though my reputation would speak otherwise I care for my family and can not bare the loss of the last child of Maria Di Angelo. I ask only this of you. As you care for your hunters, so I too care for my children.

Your Uncle,

Lord of the Underworld.’

 

“Why would he do this for his child? Risk you telling your father this news, or even Chiron.” Artemis smiled slightly as she took the scroll back from her huntress.

“Even gods care for their children.” She looked up and easily found out the newest constellation. A silver woman running through the skies, her bow drawn. 

“Is that why you had me track her my lady, and not Thalia?” Artemis nodded. 

“I trust her but she cannot know of young Nico’s true heritage, it isn’t time yet.” 

“And the cur misleading her?” Artemis frowned. 

“I do not know.” Someone cleared their throat and the huntress drew her bow and knocked an arrow in less than a second. A man dressed in a bright yellow top and shorts raised his hands. 

“Slow your roll Ilathia. I’m just here to speak to my sister.” The huntress Ilathia lowered her bow and Artemis dismissed her with a nod. Apollo flopped down onto a rock next to his sister. He frowned and the rock gleamed and was replaced by a soft yellow cushion. 

“Brother it has been too long.” Apollo nodded. 

“It really has. But sadly I’m not here to have just a chat.” Artemis frowned. 

“You need to leave Nico Di Angelo to her own devices. Stop sending your hunters after her. If you keep doing it they wont meet with anything good.” 

“Is that a threat dearest brother.” Artemis’ voice had gone cold as a moon in winter. Apollo shook his head.

“No, I’m just telling you what I’ve seen.” Artemis relaxed slightly. 

“Then she will come to the same end as all her siblings do. A gruesome demise.” Apollo shook his head. 

“Now I don’t know that. Her future isn’t set in stone yet. It will be decided by the quest Camp Half Blood will soon send out. All our fates will be decided by that choice she will make. ‘You shall rise or fall by the ghost queen’s hand.’ One of my more poetic prophecies.” Artemis rolled her eyes at her brother then sobered. 

“And that choice, which one do you think she will make.” Apollo shrugged. 

“Of that I know nothing. Her mind is shadowed by her father’s nature. I only know what the results will be of either way she chooses. One way and she will bring several unprecedented events to life. The other and another becomes the child of the prophecy and Olympus falls. But only she can make that choice. We cannot interfere with her dear sister.” Artemis grumbled. 

“As Hades is with that infernal ghost.” She sounded bitter, she’d never liked being told what to do. Apollo shook his head. 

“I believe that was his plan at one point, but Minos was a bad choice for that. He has his own vendettas and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants after all these centuries. But it could still backfire on him. The future is in the hands of a daughter of Hades.” Artemis studied him. 

“You knew about her before didn’t you.” Apollo blushed yellow. 

“Well… Off the record yes I did. Rise or fall she will be important to what comes next, vital actually. Before her father squirreled her and her sister away I sought her out in disguise. She wouldn’t remember though, not after her father had her washed in the Lethe. But she has a sweet nature. But sometimes the sweetest natures are the easiest to bend. I hope that’s not the case, for her sake.” Artemis stared at him.

“You like her.” It wasn’t a question. But it baffled her because it wasn’t the same feeling as when Apollo fell in love and made children this was a similar fondness to the one he showed her. 

“I do. She stopped and listened to me play when few others would. Too many worries for it. But she stopped. Paid attention. I hope she makes the right choice.” Artemis nodded at her brother. The sweet spirited child of Hades had a way of getting under the skin. For all their sakes she hoped the child would make the right choice.


	37. Different Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone, Wife of Hades, contemplates her husband's daughter.

Persephone, not the daughter of Poseidon, the actual goddess, had no love for her husband’s children. She had no children by him, just by Zeus in disguise as Hades. She could understand him straying on occasion. She only resented him for that a little bit. All the gods strayed. It was nothing new but bringing the demigod under their protection, into what was her home as well, that was taking it a step too far. She stared at the pot on her window sill. It hadn’t been too long ago that she’d had a pretty little black dandelion in that pot. Of course her husband had demanded that his daughter be returned to him as she had been. Persephone had relented eventually, after a few days of arguments. The girl had only puked up a little bit of chlorophyll. She would be fine. 

Later when Demeter had joined them in the underworld to hide from the war that was coming to a head in the world above, the girl had appeared again. She’d been arguing with her father for what had to be a few weeks before he made her a deal. He wanted Persephone Jackson, he claimed just to talk. When Nico had disappeared off to find the daughter of Poseidon Persephone had confronted her husband who had told her of her plan to imprison and allow the daughter of Poseidon to die, so Nico could be the child of the prophecy. That had calmed her a bit. But everything had backfired when Nico had slipped the guards Hades had put on her rooms and freed the daughter of Poseidon, helping her to become nearly invulnerable from a dip in the river Styx. But the daughter of death hadn’t left, the sea spawn had rejected her help as most did to the children of Hades, but Nico had not given up. Instead she’d turned her attentions to persuading them to join the fight against Kronos. She was pragmatic, they all knew once Kronos was done with Olympus he would come to the underworld. When Hades had refused outright, she had nodded. 

“Fine.” She snapped her fingers and one of her ghosts had appeared carrying a set of armor. It was nothing special, plain bronze plate, undecorated. The ghost helped her begin to strap it on. 

“What are you doing?” Hades demanded. Nico snapped her fingers again and a second ghost appeared with her sword and a simple bronze helmet.

“Just because you’re being a coward doesn’t mean I have to be.” Ghostly flames flared around Hades and the shadows darkened, Persephone stared at this child. She was either the bravest demigod living or the most foolish. 

“What did you just…? You will show your father respect!” Nico bristled, taking the helmet from the ghost which vanished immediately. 

“Why should I? You respect nothing so much as yourself! You hide when you should fight and I will not wait here to die, knowing I could have done something!” The cavern rumbled with Hades’ rage, a rock fell next to Nico who didn’t even flinch.

“Insolent child! You know they would never die for you! None of them want you there! Jackson said that herself, your place is here!” Nico shoved the helmet on her head angrily. 

“I don’t care! I won’t abandon them! Did it ever occur to you that the reason no one can stand you is because all you do you only do because it would benefit you! You would think being the god of death would give you perspective. You’re holding a grudge over everything your brothers have done to you. Well news flash that’s all literal ancient history. Get over yourself. Smite me if you want. Strip me of my title and powers, I am still going to go out there and fight, because I care about her! Them…” The cavern was silent for a moment before Nico turned to leave but the skeletons at the entrance blocked her path. Her hand dropped to her sword, she looked willing to fight her way out if she had to. The silence stretched for a moment before Hades nodded. 

“Perhaps you are correct. I have hidden for too long. It is time I join this fight. But we will be joining it in style.” Hades waved his hand over his daughter and the shadows enveloped her for a moment and when they parted she was decked out in beautiful black armor fitted for her perfectly, the helmet had transformed as well, a black skull over her face and head. Nico was smiling under the helmet. 

Privately Persephone always wondered if the child’s slip in wording had been what actually convinced her husband to go to battle. But they had won and everyone Zeus included had stated that it couldn’t have been done without Hades, the recognition had been something Hades had been wanting for millennia. And Nico had given him that. Persephone couldn’t help but be happy about that. When the second war rolled around she knew she was going to have words with Triptolemus about turning the daughter of Hades into a corn plant. She didn’t have the chance to do that until after the war was over. 

Before it had begun she had granted Nico access to her gardens in the underworld, insisting it was Hades’ idea, that he wanted his daughter to know everything about the underworld including the effects of the pomegranates on his children. She pretended not to notice when Nico slipped one into her pocket. She found most of it later after she’d learned that Nico had been dragged into the pit by Gaea. Hades was angry but Persephone was sad, sad that there was nothing anyone could do, that the child would likely die in the pit. But by some miracle she’d survived the first to walk through the place and live. But she was shattered inside, scarred and broken. It wasn’t until she and the roman Praetor were traveling with the statue of Athena and the satyr that Persephone allowed herself to visit the child. 

She was unconscious, not sleeping but unconscious. Ever Persephone could smell the death that surrounded her. She felt bad for the child she really did, so she did something she’d never done before. She’d always had a soft spot for heroes but this one was special, under different circumstances she could have been her child with Hades. Invisible to the Praetor and the satyr she ran a hand through Nico’s hair and allowed her power to spill forth. 

“I can not gift you with powers like your father, but I can give you this. A blessing of my own creation. When you rest in my domain in my province you will be safe from harm.” She laid a kiss on Nico’s forehead and the satyr looked around brandishing his club, looking for the source of power. Persephone smiled to herself and vanished. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

It was nearly seven months later when she saw the daughter of death again. She was avoiding her mother, summer may be in bloom but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend six months talking about grain. She was wandering near Camp Half Blood, totally be coincidence, in no way because she was worried about the daughter of Hades, who was according to him on medical furlough from her duties as ghost queen. But when she spotted a black clad figure in the field in front of her she couldn’t help the slight smile on her face. 

The girl looked much more healthy than she had ever seen her. There was an olive tint returning to her pale skin, her bones weren’t quite as pronounced. And she was laughing. That was something that she’d never seen her step daughter do, ever. She also wasn’t alone. Invisible Persephone crept closer and spotted the tell tale glow of a child of Apollo. A girl, maybe a year older than Nico was grinning at the still giggling daughter of Hades. 

“You are absolutely ridiculous Will!” The girl, Will, smiled brighter, glowing a bit more. 

“You love it!” Nico went bright red but leaned forwards and planted a kiss on the blonde’s lips. The blonde responded enthusiastically and Persephone smiled as she left the two alone. Love was one of the sweetest things in life and if anyone deserved it Nico did.


	38. Gifts: Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Christmas on the horizon Nico and Will have plans for something special.

Leo looked up with a start as the sound of knocking echoed through Bunker Nine. Standing in the shadows near the still closed entrance was Nico Di Angelo. Leo extinguished the fire he was using to weld his latest project and smiled. 

“Nico! How the Hades did you get in here?!” Nico grinned mischievously. 

“You invited me in Leo, I’m like a vampire, you can’t get rid of me after that. I’m in need of assistance.” Leo pushed back his goggles and finally noticed that Nico was holding a bag over her shoulder. 

“Oh? How can I be of assistance Batgirl?” Nico set down the bag, a simple black drawstring number, down on the table and opened it with a flourish. It was full of what looked like a shed snake skin. Leo glanced at Nico who nodded and gestured for him to touch it. He ran a hand over it. It was smooth and hard, he whistled. 

“Nice! What is it?”

“Python’s skin.” Leo looked up from the skin looking impressed. 

“Damn, you’ve had this since the end of that quest?” Nico nodded. It had been nearly two months since Nico, Will, Cecil, and Lou Ellen had defeated Python. A lot had happened since then, including Nico sneaking off on her own quest to regain her lost memories of her childhood. 

“Honestly I forgot I had it. But I found it the other day and I had an idea. But I’m no smith. That’s where you come in.” Leo nodded. 

“Ok what did you have in mind?”

“Four sets of armor. I’ve got the measurements you’ll need. Bracers greaves, the works.” Leo raised an eyebrow.

“Are we gonna have enough?” Nico nodded. 

“Oh trust me we’re probably gonna have spare skin. But it’s very tough. Impervious to the acids I could get my hands on. I couldn’t dent it with any weapon I tried, so figuring out how to take it apart and put it back together is gonna be… Difficult. The only thing I could get to cut it apart was shadows, which isn’t ideal.” Leo rubbed his hands together, sparks falling from his fingers.

“Oh! A challenge! You have come to the right Demigod my friend! You said you have the measurements?” Nico nodded and produced a sheet of paper from a nearby shadow. Leo shook his head.

“You’ve got so many nifty tricks up your sleeve.” Nico’s smile was more of a smirk as she nodded. 

“So you think you can do this?” Leo scoffed. 

“Batgirl, do not underestimate me. Now be gone with you. I have armor to make!” Nico raised her hands and took a few steps back. 

“Alright Iron Man, let me know if you need more snakeskin. And thank you I owe you one.” Leo shook his head. 

“Nah you don’t owe me anything Batgirl. Friends help each other out, especially when it comes to the ladies.” Nico blushed bright red.

“H… How?” Leo grinned wide. 

“It’s easy to see, you’ve got four different sets, one’s your size, another is just about your size, so that’ll be for Lou Ellen. One is instructed to be for a guy, so Cecil. And the other one’s more detailed than the others, and it’s got measurements for an archer’s guard. So that’s totally for Will.” Nico stuttered for a moment before she nodded. Leo grinned. 

“I’ll try to have it done before Christmas.” Nico grinned and awkwardly patted Leo on the shoulder. 

“Thank you.” Leo shooed Nico out of the bunker and set to work. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Meanwhile Will was having an argument with Chiron. 

“You have to admit it would make her feel more included! And none of us would have made it out without her!” Chiron sighed rubbing his hand across his face. 

“Miss Solace. It’s not really a question of that, it’s more a question of finding what you’re asking for. The easiest one would be the most recent. But I am currently running camp without a camp director as Mr. D has yet to return from Olympus. I unfortunately don’t have the time to help you.” Will pouted and Chiron sighed. 

“However, what I can do is let you and one other person search the attic for them. But I can’t guarantee that we even have any spares.” Will brightened quite literally lighting up the room to the point where Chiron had to shade his eyes. 

“I’m assuming you don’t want me to tell her of your plan?” Will nodded. 

“Very well. Good luck, try not to break anything.” Chiron left muttering something about needing to oversee building yet another addition to the Hermes Cabin. Will raced off and pounded on the Hecate Cabin door. This was not a very good plan and a large puff of smoke later Will found herself sitting on the ground an angry hissing ball of yellow fur. The door to the Hecate cabin opened and Lou Ellen’s sister Liz poked her head out of the cabin and laughed loudly. 

“Lou Ellen! Will’s here to see you, again.” Lou Ellen came sauntering out of the cabin and giggled at the yellow glowing cat that sat hissing on the ground. She waved her hands and did a quick chant in ancient Greek. There was another puff of smoke and Will was sitting on the grass in front of the Hecate Cabin looking a bit disgruntled. 

“You should really know by now not to bang on the door Will.” Will nodded and pulled herself up.

“Yeah I know. But I need your help Lou! It’s about Nico!” That raised Lou Ellen’s eyebrows. 

“Alright, you have my attention and assistance. Liz you’re in charge, please keep the others from killing each other.” Liz nodded her head of multicolored hair bouncing as she ducked back into the Hecate Cabin. Lou Ellen followed Will back to the Big House. 

Hours later they were digging through several of the boxes in the attic. It was distinctly less creepy now that the mummy Oracle was gone but that didn’t make it any less dusty. Or full of cobwebs. Lou sighed shoving a box out of her way, it looked like it was full of bent arrowheads. 

“Will, I’m starting to think that we just didn’t make any spares.” Will’s frown deepened as she sneezed a cloud of dust kicking up as she moved another box. She grunted in triumph and pulled a leather cord out of the box.

“Well that’s a step in the right direction! But I think you might be right about that whole not finding the beads. But hey that’s why we have an arts and crafts cabin right?” Lou rolled her eyes at Will, pulling her to her feet and helping her replace the boxes where they had been. 

“Shower first! We’re both covered in dust and cobwebs, you know how the Athena cabin feels about webs of any kind.” Will nodded and they headed off for the infirmary showers. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Leo tapped Nico on the shoulder, distracting her from Austin’s dissertation on the merits of hip hop. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. 

“Need your help in the bunker after dinner.” Nico nodded and Leo grinned conspiratorially at her before heading for the Hephaestus table where Harley was trying to explain the benefits of the internet to a very confused looking Calypso. Will glanced at Nico.

“What was that about?” Nico shrugged at her.

“It’s nothing. Leo needs a hand with a project that’s all.” Before Will could ask more questions Nico changed the subject by asking Austin what exactly hip hop was. That sent the whole table into fits and successfully distracted her from any other topic for the rest of dinner. After dinner Nico broke off from the Apollo cabin and Will spotted her entering the forest with Leo. That made her frown deeper. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Ok so what do you need?” Nico asked as they entered the bunker. Leo skipped over to his work bench which was covered in snake skin. Some of it had been cut but only a small amount, enough to start on the bracers. It looked like Leo was separating the scales so they could be reattached later. 

“I, being the genius that I am, figured out how to separate the scales.” He held up a broken knife. It glimmered in the light.

“Is that made of diamond?” Leo nodded. 

“It is. Hardest material on earth. Much less disastrous than lasers too. But it was already cracked when I found it in one of the tool kits I found in the bunker.” He gestured to a few overturned boxes. 

“Why can’t you get one from your belt?” Leo shrugged. 

“I tried but it won’t do precious materials, even as a tool, apparently that’s not covered under its magical warrantee.” Nico nodded. 

“I can get you a new one. Might take a day or so.” Leo nodded at her. 

“Well we have two weeks before Christmas. So you get me the knife I need and I can figure a way to get them to stay together while you do that.” Leo held up his hand and Nico high fived him before letting out a piercing whistle. Leo covered his ears and jumped as a large dog appeared and leapt at Nico. He reached for the weapon nearest his hand but stopped as Nico spoke. 

“Heel Mrs. O’Leary!” The dog skidded to a halt and panted at her. Nico scratched her under her massive chin. “I need to go to the forges ok girl?” Mrs. O’Leary barked happily and let Nico climb onto her back. Leo raised an eyebrow. 

“Forges?” Nico rolled her eyes.

“Don’t ask.” With that the hellhound melted back into the shadows taking Nico with it.


	39. Three Days: Pets in the Infirmary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico spreads the news about Leo.

Nico relented to the horse meows of the sabertooths and began to scratch them both just like one would scratch a normal cat. Will stared and Nico looked up from where she was scratching the spine of one of them and blushed bright red. 

“What?” Nico was almost scared Will would call her creepy or say something derogatory about her pets but instead Will grinned. 

“That’s some of the cutest shit I’ve ever seen.” Nico blinked at her. Then in unison she and Hazel spoke. 

“Language.” Frank and Will stared at them before bursting out laughing. Will doubled over as Frank hid his face in Hazel’s hair. 

“What’s so funny?” Will shook her head trying to catch her breath. Frank seemed to be in better control of himself though as he pulled himself out of Hazel’s hair. 

“You both just quoted Captain America.” Both children of death stared at Frank. Nico spoke first.

“Who the Hades is Captain America?” Will stared at her. Then she shook her head. 

“Oh this will not stand. We gotta fix this. Come on, you still owe me a day in the infirmary I may add an extra night after this little escapade though.” Nico pouted at Will as she stood wobbling slightly. The saber-tooth tigers stood on either side of her helping her balance. But Will reached out a hand anyway. Nico stared at her for a minute almost calculatingly. Then she nodded slightly and patted the tigers on their heads they followed her as she let herself steady herself on Wills hand for a moment before she dropped it and began to head out of the woods. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To be fair they really should have expected some kind of reaction to two large skeletal saber-tooth tigers walking into camp. There was a scream from Lacy of the Aphrodite cabin and the sound of several weapons being drawn. The tigers stopped as Nico put up a hand and shrank back into kittens who leapt onto Nico’s shoulders and draped there, purring fit to shake. Jason landed in front of them a smile on his face. 

“That was adorable.” Jason joined the small group and Will grinned mischievously. 

“Fucking adorable.” Nico glared at the blonde. 

“Language!” Jason snorted and Piper who had come up to see what was going on grinned.

“Is no one going to deal with the fact that Nico just said, ‘Language’ and meant it.” Will shook her head holding the door to the Big House open for them. She made Nico take off her muddy socks before taking her sword again. 

“She doesn’t understand that reference!” Piper shook her head. 

“That needs to be fixed. Soon.” Nico shook her head, she really didn’t understand what they were talking about but there were more important things. She interrupted them as Piper leaned conspiratorially towards Will.

“I need to talk to the seven. Now. Jason could you grab Percy and Arthur for me, please. It’s important.” Jason nodded, sobering immediately. He raced off and Piper’s face fell.

“More bad news?” Nico made a noncommittal noise as Will ushered her back under the sun lamps. It didn’t take them long to arrive, Reyna hot on their heels, Rachel peeking into the intensive care unit curiously. Nico was silent for a moment before she folded her hands in front of her. 

“I have news.” Percy raised an eyebrow. 

“Bad news? I mean you’re awesome but most of the time you’re delivering dire warnings or really intense plans.” Nico rolled her eyes. 

“I don’t think it’s bad news, I just don’t know how its possible.” She frowned slightly and shook her head. “Leo…” The group held their breaths. “Leo isn’t dead.” Hazel and Frank grinned and high fived like this wasn’t news to them. Piper stared at Nico, Jason was tearing up, Percy and Arthur were whooping. Reyna managed to speak over the noise.

“How?” They all quieted down. 

“Honestly I have no idea.” Hazel raised her hand and Nico raised an eyebrow at her sister as she nodded for her to speak.

“He used the Physicians Cure on himself. It was his plan all along. He told Frank and I about it back on Delos. He knew none of you would agree to it.” Frank nodded pulling Hazel close. “He made us swear not to tell anyone.” Piper frowned and pulled a vial out of her pocket. 

“But I have the Physicians Cure.” Hazel twiddled her fingers and green mist curled around them revealing more mist around the bottle in Piper’s hand. The bottle shifted into a fat little jar, the label of which read ‘Apollo Brand Suntan Lotion’. 

“I’m sorry!” Jason let out a long loud laugh. 

“He had it all planned, from the beginning. He knew what was going to happen.” Piper snorted and the rest of the room dissolved in laugher, all except for Nico and Will. Will grinned and Nico rolled her eyes. 

“At least I don’t have to worry about being sent out to do Thanatos’ job again.” Nico sighed and relaxed into the pillows. Will stared at her. 

“You were doing Thanatos’ job while he was missing?” Nico nodded slightly. 

“Well tried to. Between looking for Percy and a few other things,” Her eyes flicked to Hazel. “Didn’t have a lot of time.” Frank, Hazel and Percy all refused to meet each other’s eyes but Will let it slide. Instead she focused on the skeletal kittens that had rearranged themselves on Nico’s pillows still purring. 

“You know we don’t normally allow pets in the infirmary.” Nico frowned as she scratched the kitten nearest her head under the chin. 

“But I suppose we could make an exception, but they need a bath, they’re getting dirt on your pillow.” Arthur snorted and shook his head at Percy. He pulled her off the edge of Nico’s bed. 

“We’ll leave you two alone. Nyssa may come by. I’m assuming we can tell Leo’s siblings he’s alive.” Nico shrugged. 

“Hey he didn’t break any rules it’s fine by me, he’s not dead which means he’s no longer my problem.” Hazel grinned slightly and hugged her sister. Reyna patted Nico on the arm. Arthur and Percy left the room heading off to the Hephaestus Cabin, dragging Jason and Piper with them.

“We’re working on getting everyone back to California. Shouldn’t take much longer. The senate is sending busses to pick us up.” Nico nodded frowning deeply. Reyna smiled slightly. “Don’t worry about them. They can’t touch you, you’re still the ambassador of Pluto, that was a god given title, they can’t do anything about that.” Nico nodded slightly, grabbing hold of Reyna’s hand and smiling slightly. 

“So I get to keep my apartment?” Reyna chuckled and nodded. 

“You get to keep the apartment. I’ll make sure of it.” With that she Hazel and Frank left the room. Rachel had long ago disappeared from the door, likely to spread the news that Leo wasn’t dead to the rest of Camp. Will turned to Nico.

“You have an apartment?” Nico nodded scooping up one of the kittens, then the other. 

“In New Rome yes. Privileges of the Ambassador of Pluto.” Will laughed and nodded leading Nico into the bathroom. She filled the sink with warm water and a little bit of soap. To her surprise the kittens leapt right in and waited patiently to be scrubbed. Nico shrugged as Will handed her a luffa. 

“They don’t have skin to get bothered by the water.” Will nodded. It made sense she guessed. They set to work cleaning the dirt from the bones as the kittens purred.


	40. Gifts: Missing Persons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will worries, Nico has been gone quite a bit longer than she should have been. Leo feels guilty.

Over the next four days Will grew more and more concerned. Nico had disappeared into the woods and hadn’t returned with Leo who hadn’t looked worried but after a package appeared on the doorstep of the Hephaestus cabin, apparently containing several knives and saws made of diamond and obsidian even he seemed to grow worried. He kept disappearing into the forest though and Will was getting sick of it. So one night right after dinner she split off from the Apollo Cabin and raced after Leo who didn’t seem to notice her until she caught up to him and pinned him against a tree. 

“Where is she Leo?” Leo blinked at her for a minute. Then he shook his head. 

“I honestly have no idea Will. She went to get me the tools I needed nearly a week ago. They showed up but she didn’t. I don’t have a clue where she is and I’m incredibly worried that she might have gotten stuck or something worse because I asked her for a tool.” He said it all in a rush like he’d been holding it in for a while now. Then he took a deep breath and spoke again. “Please don’t kill me.” Will rolled her eyes. 

“I can’t kill you Leo. I honestly don’t know if I’m capable of killing anything. I got lucky once with a hellhound but that was practically a fluke.” She sat down heavily on a nearby rock and buried her head in her hands. Leo frowned and patted her on the back. 

“I… I’m sure she has a good reason for being gone this long.” Will rubbed her eyes and pulled something out of her pocket. It was a camp necklace, there were only four beads on it though. One was red and had a meticulously detailed labyrinth wrapped around it in gold, another had the empire state building surrounded by names in ancient Greek, standing out on the black background of the bead. The third was a bright purple bead with the gold letters SPQR emblazoned in a laurel on one side and the letters CHB on the other also in a laurel. The final bead was yellow swirled through with black there was a bright green snake stamped on the front of the bead. It was the latest one, in commemoration of the defeat of Python by the questing group, led for the first time by a daughter of Hades. 

“I made this for her. For Christmas.” Will sighed and looked back up at Leo. “Do you really think there’s a reason she’s been gone so long?” Leo nodded immediately. 

“I do. I genuinely can’t believe that she would ever choose to leave you. She is so in love with you it’s kinda gross. You know those couples that stare at each other for like an eternity, you guys are turning into them!” Will let out a snort and nodded. 

“Thanks Leo. I’m gonna head back to my cabin, I don’t really feel like going to the campfire tonight.” Will stood and wandered off to the bright yellow cabin. Leo waited until she was out of earshot before sighing. 

“Nico you owe me so many favors after this.” He whispered it to the shadows hoping that wherever she was the daughter of death could hear him. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Will stepped into her cabin and stopped. Someone was already on her bed. Normally she would assume it was one of their younger cabin members after having a nightmare but her whole cabin was at the campfire. She took a deep breath and reached for the feeling of light inside her. She was getting better at controlling it, Nico had been teaching her since they’d beaten Python. It was a surprisingly similar concept to using the shadows the way Nico did. A small light wrapped itself around her hand and Will gasped and raced over to her bed at the sight of familiar boots. Her whole body was lit up now and she could easily make out Nico laying in her bed, slightly faded at her hands and the tips of her hair. She began to chant a healing hymn not caring that the door was open and the light now pouring off of her could likely be seen from the campfire. In moments the shadows stopped trying to eat her girlfriend and she could focus on the more mundane wound on her side which was wide but already starting to close. 

Will laid one hand on Nico’s cheek and the girl leaned into it slightly though she remained unconscious. She must have shadow traveled here after a fight. Will gently brushed her hair out of her face, keeping most of her focus on closing the wound on Nico’s side. 

“Come on darling. Wake up for me.” Nico stirred and blinked open glazed eyes. She gazed at Will for a minute before she seemed to see her. She smiled slightly, looking like she was slightly punch drunk. 

“Good. Didn’t miss then.” Will was determined to keep her awake for as long as she could. It would be easier to asses her injuries with her awake. 

“Miss what darling?” Nico shifted slight, one dust stained hand coming up to Will’s cheek. 

“Safety.” Her eyes rolled back up and she was out like a light again as Will managed to close the wound on her side enough that she wasn’t worried about it splitting back open as she scooped up her still far too light girlfriend and raced towards the infirmary.


	41. Gifts: Where She Was

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico takes a tumble.

Nico knew that her father knew the minute she and Mrs. O’Leary arrived in the Underworld, so she worked quickly. Placing her order for Leo’s tools with one of the corpses working in the forge quickly, she stepped out of the extremely warm cavern, lit only by the light of lava flows, and up into the underworld proper. They were already waiting for her there, her father’s minions. The Furies bowed slightly and one of them extended a black scroll out to her. Nico rolled her eyes already well aware of what the scroll would say. It was an official summoning. She unrolled it and was enveloped in darkness. It dissipated and she stood before her father in his throne room. Her step mothers throne was empty as was expected. It was well into autumn, heading towards winter with every passing day. She didn’t bow instead looking up at her father who sat in his throne looking down at her. 

“It is good to see you looking well.” She nodded at him. 

“Thanks.” There was a rather awkward silence. 

“May I ask what you’re doing down here?” Nico shrugged and explained that she’d commissioned several sets of armor from Leo and that he needed specific tools to finish the job. Hades nodded at his daughter. “Very well. I have a mission for you. Just a small issue, a powerful spirit has taken up residence in a cavern and the furies can’t get the job done.” Nico rolled her eyes but nodded. 

“Where’s the cavern?” 

“Inside the grand canyon. Somewhere.” Nico let out a huff and nodded. 

“Fine.” It wasn’t like she could really refuse. In all honesty she worked for her father. It was the only real reason she was allowed in his realm as much as she was, why she had her own wing in the palace. After taking Minos’ crown and title she had inadvertently sealed a deal that meant that even after death she would be running errands for her father, collecting rouge souls, powerful possessed objects, and leading his armies into battle. “Let me tell the ghouls where to deliver the tools if I don’t make it back before they’re done. Then I’ll head out.” Hades nodded, a clear dismissal in his eyes as Nico turned on her heel and left. She assured herself that the ghouls would make sure Leo got the tools, no one else, she didn’t want the Hermes cabin snatching them from him, and whistled for Mrs. O’Leary. The hound showed up with a pack tied to her collar. It contained her sword, a new jacket, and a set of gloves made for free climbing, along with a black sundial. 

Nico climbed up onto the Hellhounds back and they dissolved into darkness. They reformed at the bottom of the canyon and Nico hopped off the hound taking the pack with her. She slipped the sundial out of the pack and held it up. It was quite the useful device. It acted more like a compass for the dead than anything else. The shadow cast by the dial would move in the direction of the strongest spirit around, and would eventually lead her to the troublesome spirit. Nico slipped on her sword and unraveled a chair from the back of the sundial. Slipping it over her neck she then pulled on the jacket and the gloves. The shadow was pointing directly up and she took a step back and shook her head slightly. Hades was lucky she wasn’t afraid of heights like this. If it had been on a mountain she would have been in trouble but valleys and canyons were things Zeus didn’t tend to bother with. She cracked her knuckles and started to climb. 

 

It took her four days of free climbing, stopping in crevices to rest for a few hours at a time, to even get close to the cave the spirit had taken over. Once it was in sight she didn’t need the sundial anymore. The whole cave was spewing a dead aura. Whoever this had been in life, they had been powerful. A demigod most likely. Nico hated dealing with spirits of demigods. They were tricky, you could never tell if they would carry some of their godly powers over to the afterlife or not. This one had, it wouldn’t be this powerful if it hadn’t. She pulled herself up into the cave and pulled her sword without preamble which was lucky for the spirit already had his in hand. He swung at her and she parried. He looked shocked, no demigod weapon made of gold or bronze or even silver would stave off a blow from a ghostly weapon. But Nico had never really bothered with those kinds of weapons. She had used her stygian iron sword since she’d found her way to the underworld and this was what it was made for. 

Taking advantage of the spirits surprise she pressed the attack. Knocking his blade aside with a powerful sweep she slashed at him sending him stumbling with the force of it. Nico saw it out of the corner of her eye. Bodies, one of them had to have been the demigod himself for his skeleton wore the tattered purple shirt and armor of a member of Camp Jupiter. The other bodies were fresher, the stink of decaying flesh finally reaching her nose. They wore climbing gear. If she had to guess the demigod’s spirit, angry at the way it had died, had dragged others into the cavern to die as well. She parried another blow and began to chant. Dark Latin words spilled from her mouth and shackles formed around the spirits wrists. Normally she would be able to do this with a simple gesture but she wasn’t sure that she was strong enough yet to manage that much unassisted shadow magic. The spirit could sense her hesitation and took one last swing at her with his blade. She couldn’t parry this time as she was using her sword to channel the spell. She felt the translucent sword bite into her side and nearly stuttered in pain. She managed to keep her wits for another minute and complete the spell as the spirit howled in rage and the ground under it opened. It vanished in a swirl of darkness and she knew it had reached the underworld where it would be dealt with. It made sense that the furies hadn’t managed to deal with it though. His sword would have affected them much the same way it had affected her. She ignored her own wound and stumbled over to the corpse of the hiker. She apologized nearly silently and rummaged through their pack. But she found what she was looking for. 

Carefully she lit a match. More Latin was spoken over both bodies, burial rights spoken with the ease of practice. She felt the hiker’s spirit leave the cavern, it had been trapped by fear brought about by the proximity of its killer. It would freely travel to the underworld now. Nico coughed and looked down. Her pant leg and quite a bit of her shirt was soaked with blood. Coughing again she realized she really shouldn’t have started a fire in such a confined space. Waving smoke out of her way she stumbled towards the exit. Her head was going fuzzy with the blood loss and she didn’t see the edge of the cave before she stepped off it. 

She was in luck though as she fell. Night had fallen and there was no moon, leaving her in deep dark shadows. She couldn’t focus on a place though and groaned as the wind howled around her. She just wanted to be safe. Shadow enveloped her and suddenly she was falling again, this time a much shorter distance, onto something soft that broke her fall. She didn’t even have time to take in her surroundings before she passed out.


End file.
